What She Left Behind
by winterxlove
Summary: The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's different. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*
1. Chapter 1: Cold Feet

**Title: **What She Left Behind

**Author: **winterxlovee

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary: **The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's altered. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except my original characters! All rights go to the Avatar team! Of course if I owned this series it would be so much less awesome, but it would have way more romance! ;D

**Pairing: **Zuko/OC, later on I'm pretty sure!**  
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**This is my first story ever on here, and I'm kind of terrified to put this up because it's not that good. It was an idea that came to me and I just thought it was a good idea for a story. I just always loved this series so much and always wanted to put my own spin to it. I hope you guys like it and I accept all criticism! (:  
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The sunlight shines through my window and encases my bedroom in warmth. The inside of my eyelids turning orange from the bright light. Rolling onto my stomach and pulling the covers over my head, I think about what today is going to be like.

I don't want to get out of my large, warm, comfortable bed. I don't understand why beds are so comfortable of the morning time. Not to mention, the thoughts of what lies ahead the next couple of weeks make me dread opening my eyes.

I'm meeting my biological father for the first time in over 6 years. He's very known throughout the world for his malicious reign over the Fire Nation. The citizens living in the Fire Nation fear him. His name? Fire Lord Ozai.

My mother, Inna, was Ursa's best friend. She had come to their wedding over 16 years ago. She met Ozai and it started with friendship. They started getting to really know each other and one thing led to another. Ozai had an affair with my mother that almost cost him his marriage. As a result I became known as the 'mistake', even to my father, until he knew about my bending.

The memories of my father are very vague. They are always kept in the unused part of my mind. I don't like to think a lot about them, since they aren't as blissful as some might think.

My mother says my father wants me back at the palace to use me for my firebending. To have another hand around since he finally took seige of Ba Sing Se after years of failing. That's the reason he wanted to meet me in the first place, to see how good of a firebender I was; and to see if I could be of any use to him.

I was.

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_..._

_"So, Aria, I hear your firebending has progressed." my father states, sitting at his mighty throne, blue flames distorting his handsome features._

_I look at the patterns of the tile on the floor, too intimidated to look my father in the eyes._

_A short time passes as he shifts his weight, "Well? I can't wait all day. Show me what you've learned." I can tell by the tone of his voice he is growing impatient._

_I peek up at my father through my blonde eyelashes, searching for his menacing gaze through the towering blue flames. _

_"Yes, Fire Lord," I finally reply, my voice sounding uneven in tone._

_I raise my head up, being sure not to notice the stares from my siblings. I slowly climb to my feet, stepping toward my father._

_I hear Azula's harsh giggle, mocking me. _

_"Shhhhhhhhh, Aria's trying to focus." I hear Zuko whisper to his younger sister from behind me._

_I take a firebending stance, remembering what my mother and teachers have taught me over the years._

_Graceful, agile and strong. The important ways to describe the techniques of you're punching through your opponent's heart._

_Stepping into my first form, I hurl my body into the air, flames shooting from my feet. Landing on my left leg, I sweep my arms infront of me. Large blasts of fire escape my hands._

_Sweeping both legs along the floor, twisting my small frame around again and again, fire lights up the room as I move gracefully into the next form._

_Form after form I hit all the perfect placements, surprising myself with how well I'm doing._

_I ready myself for the final form. I had just started learning it, but I know this is a crucial time to show Father how powerful of a bender I am._

_I stand assertive, my right arm above my head, which is slightly bowed, my left leg straight in front of me, toes pointed. I take a few deep breaths, calming my anxiety. _

_'You have one chance at this Aria. One wrong move and you're dead.' I think to myself._

_I focus all of my chi from my right arm to my left. The perfect flow of energy._

_I twist my body, letting a deep growl escape my throat as I blast a bolt of lightning to the far wall._

_As I fall to the ground in a heap, physically exhausted, I see the shocked looks on my brother and sister's faces, as well as the crumpled remains of the wall I demolished less than a second ago._

_I hear my father chuckle in amusement, "Well, well. You really are the daughter of the Firelord. Eight years old and lightning bending. Not everyone has that talent, especially at such an early age. A prodigy, Azulon might say. Your mother has taught you well. Well done my Aria." my father applauds, rewarding me with kind words, foreign to my young ears, "I also assume you will teach your brother and sister these techniques?" my father presses._

_When I finally muster the strength, I stand, bowing to my father, "It would be an honor to teach my brother and sister these forms."_

_I hastily walk out the large doors that lead to the large hallway, greeting my siblings outside. _

_"You did awesome." Zuko grins, golden eyes sparkling._

_"She wasn't that good, Zuzu." Azula asserts, rolling her eyes, " I do have one thing to tell you Aria." she says my name in disgust, "I just hope you know I'M the princess. I'M the prodigy. NOT. YOU." Azula yells, shoving my left shoulder. I can feel her heated breath against my face, her eyes wild. She turns on the ball of her foot, away from Zuko and I and rushes toward her bedroom._

_I stand there in shock until I feel Zuko tugging the sleeve of my arm, "Lets go to the pond." he suggests._

_When we arive outside at the small pond, Zuko and I sit at the edge and toss fresh bread we had gotten from the kitchen into the water, watching the small turtleducks peck at the food in amusement. _

_Zuko turns to me, taking my free hand in his and pressing his body against mine, "Don't worry about Azula. She always lies. I thought you were amazing. I wish I could lightning bend or even fire bend half as good as you! You should be proud; it's really hard to make Dad happy." Zuko laughs, his gorgeous amber eyes light up._

_I smile at him then I give him a light peck on his cheek. "Thanks for everything. I'm just sad I have to go back to Ba Sing Se tomorrow. I'll miss you Zuzu. You're my best friend. Always know that." my grey-blue eyes display a sense of sadness that can only be felt when losing a best friend._

_"I hope you can come back soon. I'll miss you. I love you, Ari." his golden eyes were somber. Sadness definite in them._

_We sit there in silence, my head on his shoulder, his small hand playing with my short, messy braid._

_After a long, comfortable silence, I meet his soft gaze and end the bonding in a warm embrace. Brother and sister. Prince and Princess. Best friends._

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The memory ends with a soft knocking on my door. A petite young woman with dark brown hair and green eyes peers her head through the door.

"Master Aria? Your mother requested me to wake you, but it seems as if you're already awake. Is there anything we can get for the Princess this morning? We don't want you in a distressing mood at the start of your day, since you have such a long trip." she offers, shuffling her feet across the oak floor. By the end of the conversation she stands near the door, arms folded neatly behind her back, afraid to go any further.

I hop up from my comfortable position, getting tangled in the sheets, and manage to stand and stretch my arms above my head, letting out a loud yawn, "What is your name? Are you one of the new keepers my mother has hired?" I ask, ambling down the length of the bed, dragging my fingertips across the silky sheets.

"My name is Mina, Princess. Your mother has hired me to be your caretaker," she announces, bowing with her hands in her long sleeves.

I observe the young woman. She has a very feminine frame; large breasts, a small waist and wide hips. They are features you would have to really study on her to notice because of her concealing green robes she wore. She was apparently rich by her attire. She also has Water Tribe heritage in her blood by her voluptuous frame. I fold my arms and scrutinize her face; her almond shaped eyes fit perfectly with her round face. Her emerald green eyes stand out against her olive skin. Her hair was in a tight bun at the top of her head. She was very beautiful.

"So, Mina . . . That means . . . love, right?" I ask, trotting over to her and wrapping arm around her waist. She nods her head slowly, uncomfortable of my approach, "How about you get me a fruit parfait with whipped cream on top for breakfast?" I ask, smiling.

"Yes, Princess." she replies, scurrying out of the room.

I chuckle at the young girl. She acted like she was intimidated by me, poor woman. I don't blame her, but I've never punished anyone for stepping too close or speaking out of term. I thought I was fairly kind compared to Azula, which is probably why she was scared, seeing my family history. I was related to a monster. Well, two monsters. I just hope with all of my heart Zuko hasn't turned into them. I haven't see him in years, so who knows what he acts like; who knows what he _looks_ like? He is probably a very handsome young man. He's 15 now, for goodness sake!

I draw a large breath into my lungs like I've been under water for hours. The jasmine smelling candles light all around my room, barely noticeable by all the sunlight being taken in by the large windows. I hold the breath for a moment and release it slowly, returning the candles to their original state.

'Your nerves are acting up again, Ari.' I shake my head, pinching the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

I glance throughout the room, the sage green bed sheets in a bundle at the bottom of my bed. All satin pillows stacked together at the wooden headboard.

I trudge to the bathroom to look at my reflection. I place both palms on the mirror and edge as far as the counter will let me. A pair of grey-blue eyes stare back at me in the large, rectangular mirror. I've been know for how different my looks are; an oval face and round-shaped eyes with pale skin; light blonde hair surrounds my face and neck like a veil, passing down my shoulders stopping above the bottom of my breasts. I look nothing like my mother or father. My mother is from the Southern Water Tribe with dark brown hair, sea blue eyes and dark skin. My father is like any other Fire Nation royalty; golden colered eyes, long black hair and pale skin. Azula and Zuko are obviously his children, complete mirrors of their father. I question if they're my biological family most days. Of course I have the humble, kind personality of my mother and the definite boldness of my father.

I let my hands slide down the mirror and grip the edge of the tile, knuckles turning white. I grit my teeth and free a breath that I had been holding since I walked into the bathroom. I quickly grab a warm towel the housekeeper had placed in the bathroom prior to my waking.

I wash my face with warm water, feeling much better. Walking into my bedroom I call for Mina.

I feel light footsteps through the floor, making their way to the steps that lead to my chambers. I slip a hand to my neck and feel bareness. I start to panick and quickly start searching for my necklace, checking every drawer, crack and crevice it may be hiding in my bedroom. I clearly remember wearing it to bed.

After searching for my fire nation necklace Zuko had given me 6 years ago I hear a banging at the door.

"Come in!" I yell, while rummaging through the nightstand beside my bed. It's my mother that enters.

"Aria, here's your parfait with _extra _whipped cream on top. Hurry up and eat, my love, we need to start cleaning you up." my mother hurriedly says while handing me the fruit parfait I requested.

"Thank you, Mother. It was a little late but it looks delicious." I say, examining the parfait.

My favorite fruits, strawberries and bananas, layered with yogurt with extra whipped cream. They know exactly what I like.

After eating and taking a bath I brush my teeth, feeling toasty warm in my plush robe. I hate Earth Kingdom weather. Summers are cooler than the Fire Nation but winters are very nippy; nothing like the North and South poles, of course. I've always hated cold weather. I don't know how the Northern and Southern Water Tribes stay alive on those barren, frozen wastelands.

"So, Mother, how are we fixing my hair?" I ask, plopping on to the cold, oak floor of my bedroom.

"I think we should leave it down for now. You have such pretty hair, Aria. You never want to show it off." my mother replies, running her fingers through my tangled, damp hair.

She grasps my hand and leads my across the hall to my dressing room. Hundreds of dresses lay on the couches on top of each other. A large mirror and a round platform stands in the center of the room. Three older women are scattered around, picking up dresses, studying them and then placing them down.

"Wow. That's alot of dresses. Which one am I going to wear?" I ask, standing in awe at all the beautiful, red dresses scattered around.

"Ah, Princess Aria! It's about time you showed up! We are just trying to pick out dresses that flatter your figure. We know you want to look like a young woman in the eyes of the Fire Nation. You are definitely not a little girl anymore. You have such a wonderful figure! The boys will fight over you when you get there. But be careful, Fire Nation boys are the worst!" Jian, the woman that covers the physical aspect of my family, bows and pulls me to where a pile of dresses are.

The dresses are very similar; the same ruby red color, a low neck line and all look very soft in texture.

One dress in particular caught my eye. I throw a few dresses to the opposite side of the pile to reach it. It's beautiful; the waist of the dress is covered in sequins that shine in the light. The length of the dress touches the floor and the gown is made of a nice silk.

"Can I try this one on?" I ask, turning to Jian.

She nods her head as I strip off my robe. After a second of struggling a little, I fit perfectly in the dress. It feels like a silky glove. The beautiful gown gives me curves I didn't know I had.

I step on to the platform in front of the mirror and look at my reflection. The v-shaped neck line shows off the right amount of my medium-sized breasts. Since the dress is also backless it gives off a strange sex appeal that my mother might not like. I'm only 13, anyways, but still, I'm a young woman and people, especially my father and siblings, need to see me that way.

"So, do you like, Mom? I think this is the one I want to wear when I meet my father," I twirl around in my dress, holding the bottom skirt up so I don't trip. Thank goodness the bottom of my gown is loose or I'd be in big trouble. Curse Mother for giving me her clumsiness.

My mother's eyes light up, "You look like such a beautiful young woman, Aria. I haven't realized how . . . developed you are until now. The boys are going to be fighting each other to just kiss your hand." her voice trails off and she shakes her head in astonishment, "Oh, I almost forgot!" she starts, reaching into her large sleeve.

She pulls something out of her sleeve, "My necklace! Oh my gosh, I thought I lost it! Where did you find it, mom?" I ask, snatching the necklace out of her hand and latching it behind my neck.

I hold the small pendant and examine the ruby, rubbing my thumb over the carving of Zuko's name on the back of the necklace.

"It's looks like you missed it. One of the house keepers found it beside your bed stand. You need to be more careful, Aria." my other explains, wagging a finger at me.

I roll my eyes and mockingly say, " I know Mom. I almost lost it. I'll be more careful," with a hint of a smile on my face, "Thank you for giving it back to me."

My mother chuckles, "No problem, Aria. I know you haven't hardly taken that thing off in years. I bet you're excited to see your brother."

"Definitely. I can't believe he gave this to me 6 years ago. I don't know where he got someone to make it. Which, he probably doesn't even remember me, let alone giving it to me." I respond, my hand trailing to feel the carving on the back, "I don't even want to think about how he could've turned out. Which, I wouldn't even be going if it wasn't for this stupid war meeting I have to attend now that Father has taken control of Ba Sing Se. I would rather stay home," my voice lowers to just above a whisper.

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I stare in awe at the deep blue waves crashing together, letting out a deep sigh. It's like gazing at the stars. It looks as if the sea goes on for an eternity. The smell of the salty air reminds me of when we were younger at Ember Island. Things were so much easier than they are now. I stand and listen to the beautiful sounds of the current, sounding like a lullaby that goes on forever.

Mai had just went to her quarters after we had talked about nothing, as always.

'I didn't ask for your whole life story.' Her comment replays in my mind, even thought it was supposed to be taken as a joke. She's always so down and it's really messing with my mood. I'm supposed to be happy now that I'm returning back home to see my father. My younger sister's also visiting from Ba Sing Se. I haven't seen her in 6 years. She probably looks so beautiful now that she's a teenager. Well, young woman.

I wonder if she still has that pendant I had given her forever ago. Does she even want to see me? She's probably pretty pissed now that she has to come all the way to the Fire Nation for a stupid war meeting. That's the whole point of why Father is making her visit in the first place. I just hope she stays for longer this time.

My thoughts are interrupted by a voice all too familiar, "Zuzu? What are you doing out here so late?" I hear Azula's mocking voice ask from behind me.

"Just thinking about some things, and will you please not call me Zuzu? It's embarrassing." I respond, not bothering to turn around.

"Oh, come on, I gave it to you when we were young children. Speaking of when we were children, did you hear that Aria's coming to the palace. She should be there by the time we make it. I bet you're excited to see that . . . traitor. Of course you two were always so close." I hear her icy voice along with her heavy footsteps approaching the edge of the ship.

"Maybe. What's it to you?" I mutter, seeing Azula grip the rail out of the corner of my eye.

"Well it's just that I wasn't all that nice to her in the past. Of course I'm not going to let up on her in the slightest. She's still being put before me even when she's not involved. Just because she bends lighting Father thinks she's all that! I see through her lies. She doesn't belong in this family. I deserve to be the only Princess," Azula rants, gritting her teeth and gripping the rail tighter.

"I don't know why you see her as such a threat. So Dad wants her over for some stupid meeting, big deal."

"There you go again, taking her side! The big deal is that she is replacing me! Replacing us! I won't stand for this. Once everybody sees how beautiful she's gotten, every teenage boy in the Fire Nation will bow to her every command! Why do boys not do that to me?" Azula's voice echoes through the air.

I roll my eyes, "I'm taking nobody's side, Azula. Plus, being a guy myself I would know that all the guys are afraid of what you would do to them and what you're capable of. Aria's a lot nicer than you've ever been."

Azula's eyes widen as if a light has lit up inside her head. She whips her face to glare at me, "Wait a second . . . . you love her, don't you? You're in love your little sister!" she cackles mockingly at me, "I can tell by the way your eyes light up every time you talk about her."

"I do not! That's disgusting. She's my sister!" I lean away from her as she creeps closer to me with each word.

"It doesn't stop millions of people around the world! It makes sense, too. You two have never really had time to see each other that way. Not like you and I have. You see each other as friends. Don't try to lie, Zuzu. I can sniff out a lie from anywhere."

I step away from the rail and hurry to the door leading to everyone's quarters, "I'm not talking about this." I murmur and leave Azula standing there with a wry grin on her face, contemplating her words as I waver through the many hallways. I don't really love her. Do I?

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"The sea is so beautiful," I announce loudly, spinning in my new dress as I gape at the open blue sky, "I admit, I would so live out here if I could."

It's our last day at sea, and we're docking in a few hours. I don't remember how long we've been out here but I'm not ready to get off the ship. Not just because it's absolutely beautiful to be out here but because I'm terrified to be reunited with my father and siblings again. I don't know what I may face once I get to the palace. I have no idea what it'll be like as I'm so used to living in the Earth Kingdom in my very large house, but a fire nation palace is a whole new setting since I haven't been there in years.

My mother has been having a lot of fun on the ship. She's so much happier than I've seen her in months. It feels so good to see my mother smile again.

"So, Mom. Are you gonna look for a husband here?" I ask, hopping beside her and laying my head on her bare shoulder.

She chuckles, "Ari, I'm a little to old for the dating scene."

"Mom, you're 33! Don't give me that talk. You're a beautiful woman. No wrinkles in sight, a nice figure. You have a lot going for you." I nudge her in the shoulder.

"Oh, you're so kind, Ari," she sighs, "Momma just doesn't think she's quiet ready to fall in love again. It's not that I don't want to, oh how I do. Marriage takes so much energy, especially when there are children around."

My eyes light up with excitement, "So you want more kids? I would love a little brother or sister!"

"Of course I want more children. I love my little Ari. I just need to find the right man to be up for that task. Plus, I don't have the best reputation in the world."

We both share a giggle and stand there in each others embrace, watching the waves dance to the motion of the ship.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**So, this was a good first chapter, right? Kinda long, but please review and let me know** **what you think about it.  
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**I really think this story could go somewhere, but we'll see!**

**Thank you so much for spending your time reading something crappy like this.** **I really appreciate it** **for the people reviewing, too!**

**If a lot of people like it I'll put up a new chapter sometime next week, maybe. (:**


	2. Chapter 2: The Arrival

****Title: ****What She Left Behind

****Author: ****winterxlovee

****Chapter Rating: ****PG-13

****Summary: ****The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's altered. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*

****Disclaimer:** **I don't own anything! All rights go to the Avatar team! Of course if I owned this series it would be so much less awesome, but it would have way more romance! ;D

**Pairing: **Zuko/OC, later on I'm pretty sure.**  
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"This is it," I whisper, standing outside the large doors leading to Fire Lord Ozai's throne room, holding on to the door handle, contemplating opening them or running away screaming.

'Stop being such a baby!' I think, my heart beating out of my chest.

I take a deep breath and open the double doors, three faces staring at me as if I had just committed murder. The looks on their faces are all different, yet all the same.

"Aria." Zuko says with an exasperated voice.

A hint of a smile tugs at my lips as I look at my big brother. He's more handsome as I ever imagined. His dark hair is pulled back with a ribbon, different from his signature ponytail, but it definitely suits him.

A large scar over his right eye caught my attention. I had to question him about it later, definitely. It worried me about how he got it in the first place.

The clothes he wore showed he had developed a lot of muscle over the years. He had been training and building his fire bending skills I guess.

The room's lighting was very dim, so I couldn't tell much about his facial features, which was disappointing.

"So you're not going to give your big brother a hug?" He asked, snapping me out of my thoughts instantly. He had the same golden eyes I remember from so long ago. They had a hardness to them, but his face was gentle. He was always very gentle towards me.

I giggled as I felt him sweep me into his arms, spinning me around like I weighed nothing.

He finally set me down after a moment and I wound my arms tightly around his neck.

"I really missed you," I said, snuggling my face in the crook of his neck.

"Okay, enough with the love fest. There are things that have to be done," I heard the sharp words of our sister spit out.

I peeked up at his face and caught a glimpse of his handsome features. The same boy was in those features, buried somewhere, wanting to escape. To smile and laugh, but he seemed very melancholy after he heard the words of our sister.

Something had changed in him. The carefree young boy I once knew was gone. It scared me.

"Aria," Azula stared at me stalkingly, like a predator hunting their prey. Her words were like acid against my ears.

"Azula," I nodded my head in her direction, my voice somber. I was going to be the bigger person about this. No matter what she said, I wouldn't let it show that it hurt me. I knew it would hurt me inside, but if she saw, she would draw great satisfaction from it. She wasn't going to win this time.

"Aria, I would like to discuss some things with you. In private." Fire Lord Ozai warningly spoke.

Both Zuko and Azula let out a huff but did as he asked, trudging out the large doors.

"Fire Lord," I said, falling to my knees.

"So Aria, I would like to discuss some things with you about this war. I think you would be very useful by Azula's side. As you know, the Fire Nation has taken control of Ba Sing Se finally, but a little bird told me you befriended the Avatar and his friends while they were staying near you."

I glanced up and noticed that he was making his toward me. Each step getting closer. I thought he was going to hurt me.

"Father, Azula and I don't get along that well, but I would make an effort if it was what you wanted," I paused, trying to figure out my wording so I wouldn't sound like a traitor, "And about befriending the Avatar, I knew that the Fire Nation would take siege of Ba Sing Se, so I wanted to pump some information out of him."

He stopped in front of me. It was the first time I had seen him face to face, not behind the terrifying blue flames he had always stationed at. His eyes were heavy, and had a coldness to them, "I just need your cooperation, because I won't take 'No' for an answer. So either you work with Azula or you will be known as a traitor. Your choice . . . "

"Father, I . . . " I trailed off, not knowing how to finish my sentence.

I felt a hand move to the back of my neck and goosebumps covered my arms. He was standing behind me, so I couldn't see what he was a bout to do.

"Tell me the truth, Aria. If you were really my daughter, you would have known my wishes to capture the Avatar and bring him to me. Azula would have known that, which is why she's being put in charge of the missions I want to be carried out. So I ask you one question, Is the Avatar really dead?" His hand tightened its grip around my neck and his voice turned dark.

I knew why he brought me here. Why he pretended to love me all these years. I was the puppet and he controlled the strings, forcing me to carry out all his deeds he would be too lazy to do himself. That's why he brought me here, why he took me in under his wing as a daughter of his own when I was so young. He knew he could use me because of my naive nature. Azula was his little prodigy and I was some trash he found on the street. I know that now.

I wasn't about to let Aang be killed by a monster. He was the only hope to save this world from the works my father has done. There was a possibility he was alive. Katara, a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe and one of his close friends that traveled with him, carried around Spirit Water from the oasis in the Northern Water Tribe. It had great power and I remember her telling me that she would use it for a great emergency.

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_"So you're the Fire Lord's daughter? No offense but you're nothing like him," the boy named Sokka snorted. He had an odd humor about him that I really liked. It was refreshing._

_"Sokka, what's that supposed to mean?" Katara asked. She was the first person out of the group that I spoke to and I really liked her._

_"I'm just saying she doesn't look like normal royalty."_

_"Oh, so she's ugly!"_

_"No, no! She's really pretty. It's just that she's alot nicer and not as terrifying. That's all I'm saying. I didn't mean it in a bad way. I meant in a good way!" Sokka said, raising his hands in defense._

_Katara's eyes narrowed to slits as she stared her brother, "Whatever."_

_"Is it always like this?" I whispered to Aang. We were both trying to get away from the arguing siblings._

_"It's alot worse than this, of course, they're brother and sister, but you think this is bad, you should see Toph and Katara argue." He whispered, the heated argument finally starting to settle._

_"We're girls, it's what we do!" I laughed, getting a giggle out of him, "So, what's the plan?"_

_"Well-" Aang started._

_"Aang!" Sokka yelled, running over to where we were standing, "Did you forget who her family is? How do we know we can trust her?"_

_"Apparently you forgot that I'm here." Toph spoke for the first time. _

_Sokka turned his head, not understanding what she meant, "What? OH! Yeah, we can ask her if we can trust her and you can tell if she's lying or not."_

_"You're a genius," Toph said, sarcasm coating her voice._

_"So, can we trust that you won't tell the Fire Lord or anyone else about our plans?" Sokka turned to me and asked._

_"I'm one of the people that WANT him off the throne. I swear you can trust me," I strongly said._

_"We can trust her," Toph affirmed._

_"Okay, so onto the plans," Sokka added, "During the solar eclipse, there's only a 7 minute window of time when all firebenders lose the ability to bend. That's when we strike."_

_"Wait, there's only 4 of you, how-"_

_"That's where everyone else comes in. My dad and the men of our tribe are gonna fight with us. Some other people are coming and we're gonna fight our way to the palace, and since the firebenders won't be able to firebend, we'll make faster time, hopefully making it before the eclipse ends. Aang's going to try to get to the Fire Lord when the eclipse is happening so he'll be helpless and it'll be easy for Aang to finish him off. It would be great if you would come, too."_

_"Me, fighting?" I snorted, "I wouldn't be any use without my fire bending."_

_"Can't you lightning bend, too? We've heard around town that you're one of the few lightning benders in the world." Aang asked, "I mean we could really use you, even if you couldn't fight. You'll know all of Ozai's secret plans for the Fire Nation."_

_I contemplated the thought. If they do win, things would be so much better off. On the other hand if they lose, I would be locked in jail forever and be known as a traitor._

_"I don't know. There's just so much to lose." I finally said, shaking my head._

_"Aria, we wouldn't let anything happen to you." Katara promised, pulling me into a tight hug and patting me on the back._

_"Yeah," Aang and Sokka said in unison. Toph stood there, arms folded like she was ready to fight if someone looked at her wrongly. Well, not really looked, but you know what I mean._

_"If I can get away from my father, I'll be there." I announced._

_Sokka had a goofy grin on his face, as did Aang. He walked over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "Our secret weapon."_

_I glanced up at him and giggled, "I've never been a secret weapon before."_

_I notices a twinkling hitting my eyes and followed where the light is coming from. My eyes locked with a beautiful necklace used for keeping water, it looked like, around Katara's neck._

_"What is that?" I asked, pointing to Katara's neck._

_"Oh this," she looked down, "It's Spirit Water from the Spirit Oasis at the Northern Water Tribe. They gave it to me for healing purposes."_

_"Could it heal someone from the dead?"  
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_"It's pretty strong, so I guess, if the body was in good condition." she shrugs._

_"Awesome," I breathe._

_..._

_..._

_..._

"There's no way the Avatar's alive." I finally whisper, "Azula finished him off."

"Excellent. I wish you could be more like your sister," he says with a menacing tone, "You could learn a thing or two from her."

"So, I'm just another firebender to you?" I say under my breath.

"Of course. You didn't think I meant all those things, did you? The only reason I brought you here is because you have immense power, Aria. Stronger than even Azula. It just depends on which team you're going to play for." He whispers, his voice warm against my ear, his hands trailing down my back, resting at my hips.

"Azula will always be your number one." I whisper, my voice shaken.

"Always," he whispers, his breath tickling my neck, "So go be a good little girl and go practice your firebending."

He plants a kiss under my ear before loosening his grip on me.

I tear his hands away from my body and hastily walk out the door, hearing his tormenting laugh beating in my ears.

Tears fill my vision as I crawl up the flights of stairs to my chambers, not taking a chance on falling with the long dress I have on.

I didn't care about where my brother and sister were, I didn't care if they saw me crying, I just wanted to disappear off the face of the Earth. Never to be seen again.

I close the doors to my bedroom, locking them tightly. Tears I had kept in for years overflow and stream down my face, clouding my vision once again. I land face down on the silk sheets and grab for a pillow and bury my face in it, smudging my makeup in the process.

Why did I have to come here in the first place? No wait, why did my mom have to be such a whore? What did she see in him? He was married and she had to come along and screw everything up. Now I'm getting hell for her mistake.

Just as I'm about to scream, I hear a soft knock on my door.

"Hello? Aria, you in there?" the voice yells, seeming very familiar, "Listen I know you don't want to be here, but I wanna see you. It's Ty Lee."

My eyes widen as she says her name. Ty Lee? Her and I used to be inseparable when we were younger.

I wipe the dry tears and smeared makeup away with my sleeve. Rushing over to the door, I quickly undo the locks and open the door, standing face to face with someone who seemed like a stranger.

"ARIA!" she yells, jumping up and down in her skimpy outfit, "Come here, you! I haven't seen you in years! I'm so glad you're back!"

I giggle as she pulls me into a tight bear hug. It was so good to see her again. My mood was instantly lightened.

She loosens her grip on me, "Your aura's all black, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing." I say, shrugging my shoulders.

"Come on, Ari, you can tell me anything." she says, leading me to my bed.

She was right, I could tell her anything. When I first came to the palace, we had known each other for five minutes and already were best friends. Even though I haven't seen her in years, I still felt we had that connection. I guess it's because our personalities are so similar. We were always the ones to brighten the mood, which we had always gotten along well, even when everyone else was fighting.

"It's my father." I whisper.

"Hun, listen to me, Ozai was and always will be a big meany. It's nothing against you, okay?" she said, smiling.

She brushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear and ran her fingers along my cheek.

"By the way, when did you get all hot?" I asked, motioning to her outfit, if you could call it that.

"Oh you like it? I have some other ones with me. We can play dress up like we always did! It'll be so much fun, plus it'll get your mind off of all the drama," she hopped up and said with enthusiasm, then started tugging on my arms.

"I don't think I could pull that off."

"You sure have filled out over the years, though! Guys would love to see you in a skimpy little outfit. You have such a pretty figure, so show it off!" she pulled me up and led me to the door.

...

...

...

Ty Lee was throwing clothes right and left, covering her bed. We had been sitting in her room for over an hour, trying to decide which attire I was going to wear to meet my people. She was headstrong about making me look sexy for all the boys.

Every so often she would walk over to her bed and start mixing and matching tops and skirts, then she would walk back over to the closet and start the process all over again.

"So, have you talked to Zuko or Azula yet?" she asked, though I could hardly hear her since she was leaned over the bed, examining different tops.

"Yeah, we said 'Hi'. That was it, though. I ran up to my room after I finished talking to Dad." I shrugged.

"They, well, Zuko asked me where you were. Mai asked too, which is weird since she isn't really a people person. Probably because you're the only one that would ever risk getting skewered by her when you guys would practice."

"Wow, Mai . . . I guess one person missed me."

She cleared her throat and turned to look at me with an irritated expression on her face, "TWO people!"

I giggled at her attempt to try to be intimidating.

We sad there in silence for a while. Ty Lee always took so long when it came to fashion. She always told me you had to get the perfect outfit or you'll look like a total dork.

"Aha! This is the one." she said, making me jump from the outburst, grabbing the outfit I was going to wear from her bed.

She had already helped me clean my face from all the makeup and tears that had transformed me into a bear-raccoon, so all I needed was the outfit.

The top was a light pink made of silk, was sleeveless, and stopped just above my belly button, showing off more skin than necessary. The skirt was pink also with ruffles at the bottom, which stopped above mid-thigh.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, you look so cute!" she yelled, hopping up and down, "My work is now done. I can't wait to show you to everybody!"

"Wait, everybody? Even . . . them?" I slowly asked.

"You mean Zuko, Mai and Azula? Of course! Why do you think I gave you these clothes in the first place? You're gonna show them you're not a little girl anymore! Now come on!"

...

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...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Well, this is a short chapter but I'm saving something good for the next chapter, which will be longer! I know this wasn't that good but this is kinda the introduction to what's going to come in the following chapters. I do nothing all day so that's why I update so fast! I really like where this story is gonna go and I hope you like it too. (:  
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**I thank all of you guys for reading this story and for reviewing. I took every review to heart and I tried to incorporate what each of you said to make my writing better. (:**

**...  
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**KnightOfZaku:** **Thank you so much!**** I wanted to incorporate Ty Lee into this chapter just because you said that, because I didn't know when I was going to use her. I really** **appreciate you** **reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

**Karma of the Fire Nation: Thank you so much! And thanks for reviewing. (:**

**dawnwish112****: Thanks and the bending scenes _are_ really difficult to write since, ya know, we can't really bend, but I try to do the movements so I can see how everything is going along. And I'm trying to work on the chapters as fast as I can! ^.^**

**VividDreamer624: I know, I really have to stop putting myself down when it comes to that. **

**I was trying to show the manipulative side of Ozai. Aria thinks he willingly accepts her in but in reality he's just saying those things to manipulate her into doing what he wants, as Azula's always gonna be his favorite!**

**I actually don't know where Zuko and Aria's relationship is actually going to go. I have an idea, but it's my little secret. ;D**

**I really thank you for giving me this constructive criticism because the way I see it is: you took time out of your day to help me! Thanks for reading and reviewing. **

**...**

**Can't wait to show all of you the next chapter! I hope all of you are following where this story is going! (:**


	3. Chapter 3, Well, not really    ?

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Okay, I know what you're thinking, 'What the heck! Where's the new chapter?'

Sooooo, I have some bad news: no new chapter today.

I have a really good excuse though!

My computer has a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGEEEE virus on it and I can't fix it.

So, until I get 100 bucks to fix it I'm gonna have to pause on the story for a little while so I don't lose everything I've worked on.

Which will be a couple of weeks because of Christmas coming up and how bad the economy sucks . . .

I have half of the chapter already written so as soon as I can I'll start working on it again!

I'm really sorry for all the people that like this story and have been waiting, but thanks for reading and I hope that you stick with it even though I won't be posting for a while! (:


	4. Chapter 4: Catching Up

**Title: **What She Left Behind

**Author: **winterxlovee

**Chapter Rating: **M

**Summary: **The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's altered. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except my original characters! All rights go to the Avatar team! Of course if I owned this series it would be so much less awesome, but it would have way more romance! ;D

**Pairing: **Zuko/OC, later on I'm pretty sure!**  
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_Blue flames blocked my path as I tried to escape their course of destruction to no avail. I had fallen to the ground in a heap, clutching my waist in agony. The smell of charred flesh lingered in the air long after the fire hit me. It seemed like the pain lasted for hours on end, getting worse and worse every passing second. _

_"Aria!' a voice screamed. _

_I didn't know who it was, as I could focus on nothing but the excruciating pain I was in. It sounded like my mother, but the voice sounded different in my mind._

_Why would Azula hurt me so bad? I had only been at the palace two days and already had third-degree burns across my torso, I was sure. What did I do to her to deserve this?_

_The last image I saw was my sister, who was laughing, with a malicious smile on her face. My own sister, who I was supposed to fight and argue with, but not this literally!_

_Black dots danced across my vision as I gave into the darkness, an utterly dark, yet peaceful sleep that felt like death itself._

...

...

...

The spine tingling memory was being brought to my attention for the first time in years, clouding my thoughts and looming there like a rainstorm that wasn't going to diminish anytime soon.

Azula had told my mother that the burning was an accident, that she had no intention of harming me. I had gotten in her way and I deserved it. Ursa scolded Azula over the incident, her hate burning for me even when we were young children. I was getting loving attention from _her_ mother, what I had no right to do since I had a mother of my own that would comfort me, opposite to the fact that Ursa would console Azula rarely, given her bitter nature toward positive human contact. Don't get me wrong, Ursa loved both of her children dearly, she just loathed the way her little girl always acted like a little brat to everyone but her father.

I still can't believe I was so naive to not notice what was happening. I see now after all these years, even when we were little, we were destined to be enemies. Azula and I, sisters.

Her mark still scars my lower torso, hidden by the skirt Ty Lee had dressed me in so conveniently. The place was still there, not wanting to let me forget who was in control. It had slowly started to subside over the years and had shrunken a small portion in size.

Ty Lee and I were making our way to the palace, stopping to smell the flowers that were stationed at a cart outside of a small cafe we had just finished eating in. There were flower shops set up outside restaurants and shops all around the Fire Nation, especially around the palace.

We both took our time, closely examining each type of flower, smelling their wonderful scent.

"Ooh, Fire Lilies! They're my favorite!" Ty Lee said, scooping up a single lily and pressing it against her heart, being careful not to crush the fragile flower.

She sniffed it a few times, inhaling the scent and commenting on how pretty it was. When I hadn't chosen one yet, she then asked me if I wanted a flower.

"Fire Lilies are my favorite! I guess I came at the perfect time of the season, when they're just blooming." I told her, picking up my own lily and examining it closely.

I always loved fire lilies, even though they only bloomed a couple weeks out of the year in the beginning of Spring, which was very disappointing since they were so beautiful. The scent was so sweet and innocent, yet powerful enough to draw you in. The colors were like harmony, a red/orange, mimicking the beautiful colors of a single flame, living up to its name. Fire lilies come in all different colors, but a great population of them are the same as the red one I'm holding.

If you look closely, you can see little freckles covering the rosy petals, making each of them unique. What I mostly loved about them was that every lily was different, just like humans. Each having a different personality to them, almost, just like us.

My mother had told me while we were picking them one day, 'Your grandmother had told me long ago that if you give someone a fire lily, you want them dead.'

I was debating on getting Azula one . . .

A man was stationed behind the wooden cart, where we were to pay. I didn't have much money with me, so I didn't know if we were going to be able to buy them or not.

"How much?" I asked, pointing to the lilies we held in our hands.

"For the two Fire Lilies? Eh, you two look like fine young girls, so I'll give them to you for free. Just don't tell anyone, okay?" He winked.

We both glanced at each other then nodded our head in the strange man's direction. Ty Lee had an ignorant smile on her face as she waved at the old man. We walked away, clutching our flowers, still feeling uncomfortable at the man's odd approach.

"Why do I get the feeling he gave these to us for free because the way we're dressed?" I whispered, a hint of relief in my voice by the luck we had experienced.

"Because it's true! Hot girls get anything they want." she stated nonchalantly, his flirting tactics not being noticed by her.

"Oh, come on Ty, you seriously didn't see that he was being a total pervert? He was so coming on to us!" I laughed.

"Really? I didn't notice, but don't act like you don't like it, Ari!"

"Whatever!" I said, laughing. Sometimes I wonder about that girl's perception about things. Maybe she was just born that way. . .

We roamed along the busy streets, stopping to start a conversation with a boy who had noticed us walk by, which was every couple of seconds, making our way slowly back to the palace.

...

...

...

"Where do you think she went to?" Mai asked, leaning against my body, my arm lying lazily on her shoulders.

Azula rolled her eyes, laying back on the green grass, what little of it there was, "Probably off to go sulk in a corner somewhere, or slitting her wrists, hopefully."

"She's probably just with Ty Lee talking about makeup or something. You know how much Ty's talked about Aria since she knew she was gonna be visiting." I shrugged, ignoring Azula's snide comment.

"I'm surprised Ty Lee would disobey me. I told her to go nowhere near that bitch. She's so gullible." Azula laughed, raising herself up on her elbows.

We were sitting in a grassy field the three of us had been training at for over an hour, waiting for Aria to arrive. My guess is that Ty Lee had found her after she had finished her conversation with our father. Either that or Father had said something to piss her off, so she went for a walk around town to clear her head. They both sounded very plausible.

It's still not like we were waiting in agony. Mai and I were sitting on the only soft patch of green grass there was in the field. Azula had burned all the rest of it when we were sparring a little while ago, leaving light brown patches on the ground, which was where she was laying comfortably, arms under her head.

The sun was casting its warm light onto the three of us, giving off a feeling of comfort rarely felt whenever we were here since we were always on guard, wondering what's going to happen next.

The field was not too far from the palace. Not as close to where we could see everyone coming and going, but Ty Lee knew where we were, so she would lead Aria here.

"I think I'm gonna go for a walk." I say, climbing to my feet.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Mai asks, looking up at me with a confused expression on her face.

"I'd rather be by myself."

"Oh, okay..."

"Have fun Zuzu! Maybe you'll see little Aria along the way. That would be fun, huh?" Azula said in a mocking tone.

I ignored her comment and made my way through the remains of the large field.

...

...

...

Ty Lee and I amble down the bustling streets of Ba Ling. It seems like every part of this town is always alive, something happening around every corner.

Ba Ling is the town just outside the courts of the palace. The capitol, you might say.

A boy at least the age of 15 stops us, a wondering expression evident in his handsome features.

"Aria, is that you? Wow, Everyone said you were coming back after all these years, but damn! I almost didn't recognize you until I saw that necklace that you always had on when I saw you. You're looking really good!" the boy pauses, his eyes exploring my body, "Mind if I take you out some time so we can catch up?"

"Zhen, Aria's really busy, since she's a _firebender_ and all, ya know how it is, don't cha? She's got a huuuge meeting coming up with the Fire Lord and she can't miss that, can she? Well, bye, nice talking to you!" Ty Lee says, forcing me the opposite way of the boy's direction.

Zhen stands there, his eyes wide, watching Ty lead me away.

"Sorry, I have a lot to do! We can catch up later, like, tomorrow maybe?" I yell to him, trying to twist my head around to glance in his direction one last time before I'm taken around the corner of a building.

Ty pushes me against the side of the building, her hands grip my shoulders.

"Aria! You need to know the number one rule when it come to boys, _ALWAYS _play hard to get. Guys love a challenge!" she says, shaking me softly, but also hard enough to get the point across.

"Ty, I know nothing about boys. I've had two kisses and they weren't even kisses! The guys grabbed me and forced themselves on me." I threw my hands up in the air.

"Oh wow, Ari. You have so much to learn, but I'll teach you!"

She pulls me into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around my neck, our faces pressing against one another.

She abruptly snatched the Fire Lily we had just bought out of my hand.

"I think this would look so pretty against your cream skin! I have my flower in my hair, so we can match! Like . . . twins!" she pulls me into another hug, kissing me on the cheek innocently, "I'm so glad you're back. Azula and Mai don't like any of the things I like to do. You're the only one I can really relate to!"

Ty Lee's upbeat attitude, as annoying as it gets over a period of time, was something I really missed. It was so refreshing to have someone cheering you up all the time.

My mother really had no quality time to spend with me, since she was so busy all the weeks leading up to the meeting with my father. With my Aunt Kara getting married in a few months, my mother's been very stressed with the decorating and planning spent on the wedding.

On top of that, my other aunt, Aunt Ruka, is 6 months pregnant with a little girl. I'm very excited to be an older cousin, especially to a girl who is so much younger that me. Children have always been on my to-do list for the future. Family is always supposed to be number one priority. That isn't always the case, though.

After walking for a minute, we pass a beautiful field covering in white magnolias.

"Hey, Ty? You go ahead, I'll catch up with you in a minute." I say, shooing her away.

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess you just need to clear your head. Everyone's at the training field a little ways from the palace when you decide to come." she waves both hands at me then turns and skips away.

I wade through the tall flowers, running my finger tips over the soft, white petals.

"Will you dance no more? Will the tulip shut up in the earth? Will the swan forever fold white wings? Will the flute go silent and the song be hushed in the air? Will the ray full of rainbows flicker and fail? Your foot is lighter than the perfume of lilies. Brighter than the sparkle of waves. More musical than the thrush at twilight. Somewhere oh, softly, will you dance no more?" I coo quietly, standing on the tips of my toes, mimicking the beauty and grace of a pretty ballerina I had seen in a theater with my mother so long ago.

When I was younger, I would prance around the house in my silken gowns and my ballet shoes after I had seen my first ballet recital. I would always ending up hurting myself somehow; scraping my knee or spraining something. I promised myself that when I got older I would continue practicing and eventually become something that I had admired for years: a legitimate ballerina. One that danced on stage in front of thousands of people, not alone in front of my body length mirror in my bedroom.

Not many things have changed since then, I guess.

"So, you're a dancer?" a voice behind me says.

I abruptly stop my movements to turn around and see who had interrupted my daydream.

Zuko. He had been watching me make a complete fool of myself. But how long had be standing there?

"Oh, uhm, yeah. I mean, if dancing in front of a mirror counts as dancing, then yes." I say, nonchalantly rubbing the back of my neck.

"Well, you're not bad for a girl who just dances in front of her mirror."

"Heh, I beg to differ. So . . . how long had you been watching me?"

"I just got here a second ago. I was getting worried that you two had been snatched by criminals or something so I got up to look for you. Then I saw a girl who looked like you in this field of flowers so I decided to investigate. It was you . . ."

"That's very sweet of you, Zuko, but I think I can handle myself."

I fall in to the flowers landing on my back softly, the white magnolias breaking my fall. The flowers mold around my body as I stare up at the baby blue sky. It seems as if it goes on for an infinity as I look up through the white petals concealing me. At that moment I realize how small we really are compared to the world.

"Even though you don't need my help, I'm your older brother, so it's kinda my job to piss you off. Well, it's actually one of my many hobbies."

He lies next to me and leans toward my body, raising himself up on his elbow.

"What?" I ask, raising an eyebrow then mimicking his actions.

"Nothing, just kinda happy that you're back." he says, shrugging.

"Mhmmmmmmm. This'll be a long couple of weeks, though. Especially if you're not around; so don't leave, okay?"

"Got it."

We sit there in silence, both of us obviously trying to think of how to approach the conversation.

"So, you and Mai, huh? I never expected you would go for someone so . . . gothic like her." I pause, "Something in you has gotten quite dark, though. It worries me. You're not the loving, care-free Zuko I used to know."

"Yeah, well, things change and people change. You just got here so you don't know anything about me. I've had to change alot in my life since the last time we saw each other."

"It's Dad, isn't it? What did he do?"

"Nothing, okay? I don't wanna talk about it!"

"Zuko, what happened to you? You're acting like a complete jerk and if you're gonna keep acting this way, I'm gonna leave. Maybe find Zhen . . ."

"Go ahead! It's not like I wanna be with you so go find your little boyfriend! Our family was perfect before you showed up!"

Tears fill my eyes as I try to blink them away, but they just won't disappear. Why is Zuko acting this way? He's never screamed at me before. The anger wells up inside me and the tears overflow for the second time today. I had been crying so much lately.

"I hate you! I never wanna see your face again, but you won't miss me, so I'm just gonna find Zhen like you said! Have a nice life with Mai and be fucked up forever!" I scream as tears stream down my face, smudging the makeup Ty Lee had tried so hard to perfect.

I run through the forest of flowers, not attempting to look back. It hurt so much hearing Zuko say those harsh words to me, as the kind boy I knew would never say those words to me. We would argue occasionally but we would always apologize and work things out.

I don't know if he can be easily forgiven and this simply worked out. It seems like I don't know anything anymore.

I do know one thing: something is seriously messed up with Azula and Zuko and I need to get to the bottom of it.

...

...

...

Damn It! Why did I say that to her! I've never even raised my voice at her. I miss her so much, so why did I make her leave?

The wind had picked up as she ran through the forest of white flowers, her legs grazing the petals.

It was getting colder now, which is unusual for Fire Nation weather. It's usually never chilly like this, even during Autumn.

Wait, what am I doing? Why am I not going after her? Do I want her to leave? No, that's nonsense. But I don't want Azula or Mai to think that I love my own sister and I'm following her around like a lost puppy. That's ridiculous. Ah, there you go again Zuko, always over-thinking things. If they see you run up to her room you can say she dropped her necklace, yeah! Was she even wearing a necklace? Yeah, she was. The necklace I gave her the last time she visited.

I stopped in my tracks to stare at the small mold of her body in the flowers.

Wow. She was still wearing the pendant I had given her after all this time. She cared about something so simple from me and I was a complete jerk to her.

Uncle would want me to go after her and make it up to her. He would tell me not to care about what anyone else thinks, that my opinion is the only one that matters. I should do whatever makes me truly happy . . .

...

...

...

"What happened, Aria? You're crying more than before." Ty Lee says as I walk through the spacious family room entering from the back door, trying to find the quickest way to my quarters as possible.

"Awwww, did you find Zuzu? I'm guessing he told you he didn't want you here, just like the rest of us. The truth hurts Aria, especially in this family, so get used to it, wench." Azula's threatening voice follows behind me even after I had left the three of them.

I fall against the door after I finally make it to my room after walking up flights and flights of steps. Okay, so I'm exaggerating, but today has definitely not been my day. I'm guessing it's going to be like this for the rest three weeks. What joy! At least I'll have Ty with me . . .

...

...

...

"Aria? Aria, can I please come in? I'm sorry for what I said and I want to talk to you." Zuko's voice is muffled through the thick doors of my chambers.

I had just gotten out of the bath one of the maids had prepared, feeling clean and fresh, my face nude for the first time in days.

"Why should I let you in? What you said really hurt me, Zuko." I yell, leaning against the door, arms folded.

"Listen, I don't blame you for being mad, but just hear me out, okay . . .? Can you please let me in?"

After we stand there on opposite sides of my door for a couple of moments, I decide to unlock the door and let him in.

"I'm listening . . . " I say, crossing my arms over my chest, staring at him.

"I shouldn't have said what I said, okay? It was wrong and Uncle would have wanted me to apologize." He says, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"What about what you want to do? It seems like you listen to everyone else but the person that truly matters."

He stares at me, the features of his face becoming tense. His gaze meets the silken robe that covers only the essential parts of my anatomy.

"What the hell are you wearing? That robe barely covers anything." He says, pinching at the hem of the robe that stops above mid thigh.

"Oh, you think this is bad? I sleep naked." I say, winking.

"I really needed to know that, Aria . . . "

"I'm just kidding, Zuko. I sleep in a loose shirt and panties." I laugh.

"How I missed you, I'll never know."

"Who wouldn't miss me?"

Zuko sits comfortably on my spacious bed while I try to find a way not to expose myself in the robe. His hand grips my upper thigh, causing me to gasp from the intimacy of his approach.

"What are you doing?" I ask, my eyes wide.

"That scar. I don't remember it being there. What happened?" He said, his thumb tracing the edges of the healed cut.

After a moment I answer, "It was my step-father. He got drunk one night and tried to do bad things with me, and he cut me in the process of trying to get my clothes off. Of course, it's not something I like to talk about." I whisper, watching his thumb glide over the light pink skin.

The laceration was created with a sharp knife the man had conveniently found lying around the house. He awoke me in my sleep when he tried to get my nightdress off. I tried to fight him when he cut a long, wide gash on my thigh trying to tear my underwear off. That was just a year ago. My mother had soon divorced him right after that had happened and she has been weary of bringing home any men ever since.

My horrid past consisted of being abused because of my appearance. Either I use my looks to seduce the men and exploit their weaknesses or I constantly feel shame and guilt doing whatever I can to cover up.

It's a lose-lose situation.

"I'm really sorry. Do you want me to make it better? Like we did when we were kids?"

I remember when we were children, if each of us ever got hurt, we would always kiss the boo boo to make it better.

I didn't really like where the kiss would be placed, since it's so close to an area _I_ rarely even touch.

I slowly nod my head, a knot forming in my throat.

I watch him as he kneels down in front of me and places light kisses along the scar, running his soft lips along the skin.

My heart races and a stirring starts within the pit of my stomach. It takes all of my strength to remember that this is my own blood related brother. These sensations I'm feeling are dirty and wrong.

It feels so right, though.

"Feel better?" He asks, looking up at me with his warm, golden eyes. The eyes I always recognized. The same eyes that always made me feel safe and comfortable when I was lonely or scared.

"There's the Zuko I remember." I whisper as I run my fingers through his silken black hair. My finger tips slowly trace his handsome features and pause as I touch the scar on his right eye.

A smile plays his lips as he caresses the back of my hand with his soft fingertips, "You're the second person to ever touch my scar, ya know."

"Who was the first?" I ask curiously.

"Katara. She said she could heal me with this Spirit Water she got from the Spirit Oasis."

"I talked to her about that. It's very powerful. She even said it could possibly bring someone back from the dead."

His hand stops its soft movement, his eyes growing wide, "You mean, the Avatar could still be alive? I thought that too."

"I'm not saying. Aang is my friend and I'm not handing him over to the likes of our father." I fold my arms over my chest and look away, pouting my lip.

His head rests against my naked thigh, his hair tickling my skin, "Even if the Avatar was alive, I couldn't say anything. The whole Fire Nation is welcoming me back because of the slaying of the Avatar. I didn't even do it, but if Father will restore my honor as long as I act like the boy's dead, I can put up with it."

"What do you mean 'restore your honor', Zuko? Does this have something to do with your scar?" I ask, running my finger along the rough edges.

"It's a long story, Ari. I don't think it's one you'll wanna hear, either . . . "

"I've probably heard worse."

"Okay . . . So two years ago, Father had invited me to a war meeting. He was talking about something that I didn't agree with so, like a thirteen-year-old, I decided to speak up and voice my opinion. You know Father; it was the worst thing I could do to him. He decided to challenge me to an agni kai. A thirteen-year-old boy. I told him I wasn't going to fight my own father and he told me I'm weak and said I'm a disgrace. He burned my face and banished me, and I vowed that day that I would capture the Avatar to restore my honor so I could return home."

"Spirits, Zuko. Why did you even come back? If I were you I would want nothing to do with the man." I tell him, my ears not wanting to believe what I just heard.

"I guess that's the difference from you and me. You want to run away from you problems and I face them head on. Just another thing I got from my father."

"No! The difference between you and I is that I run away from problems I know I can't handle on my own! You think the whole world is your enemy and that you have every right to say what you want and to act like a complete dick to people weaker that you!" I hop up from my position on the bed, ruffling my robe.

I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down. I didn't want to have another panic attack again, especially in front of him, "I'm sorry, Zuko. I'm just really stressed right now."

"Ummmm, Aria . . .? Your robe . . . " He points, turning his head awkwardly.

"Wh- Oh spirits! Damn this stupid robe." I swear, fixing where the collar of my robe had dipped down too low, revealing my right nipple.

After a little reasoning with the stupid thing, I managed to fix myself to where I looked half decent.

"So, where were we?" I ask, returning to my place on the bed.

"You were screaming at me."

"Before that! Oh, I remember! We were catching up on everything that's happened over the years."

"Well, lets do more catching up, shall we?" He asks, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

...

...

...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**So, my computer's fixed for the time being, thank God.**

**I really didn't exp****ect this chapter to go this route, but I liked it. Zuko probably seems a bit out of character at times for you but he's always had a sweet spot for his little sis, which is understandable.  
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**About the whole Zuko and Aria scene: even if I were Zuko's sister, I would sti****ll have been really turned on. What can I say? Aria's almost 14 and she's got ravaging hormones in her body right now. One second they want to ravage each other then they want to bite each others heads off. I would know . . .  
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**I also did my research and most of the incest committed hundreds of years ago between royal brother and sister**** were because of how little time they spent with each other. The siblings were almost always kept at opposite ends of the house and were never around each other. They didn't get enough time to develop a brother/sister relationship, but rather an intimate relationship. Just a little fun fact. (:**

**This chapter is over 5,000 words. Pretty long like I promised!**

**Also, just to get completely off the topic: Aria and Ty Lee are sooooooooooooo adorable together! I absolutely love them and I enjoy writing the two of them together. Soooo much. Just had to get that out there.**

**Well anyways, this has turned out to be a huge author's note, but thanks for reading and I really hope you R&R! (:**


	5. Chapter 5: Decisions

**Title: **What She Left Behind

**Author: **winterxlovee

**Chapter Rating: **M

**Summary: **The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's altered. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except my original characters! All rights go to the Avatar team! Of course if I owned this series it would be so much less awesome, but it would have way more romance! ;D

**Pairing: **Zuko/OC, later on I'm pretty sure!**  
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...

...

...

"When are you gonna be finished?" the Prince's gloomy lover sighs, crossing her arms over her chest.

It seemed like no matter what Zuko did, he could never get the slightest arousal from her. When they were being intimate in any way it was always the same questions being asked by the girl: "Are you almost done?" "When is this gonna be over? I have stuff to do." "This is a huge waste of time, can we just stop?" "I'm bored."

The teenage boy suddenly recoils from the girl's body with a loud sigh, settling at the main edge of the bed away from her touch.

"Zuko, listen. It's not you. You know I have a hard time with this kind of stuff." Mai sighs, resting beside him and rubbing his shoulders, her raven-colored hair tickling his back.

She had no idea how to comfort a person either.

"It would help if you gave me some sort of hint that you're the _slightest_ bit interested. You always seem . . . far away. It's like I'm putting my all in to it, but I'm getting nothing back."

Mai's eyes narrow, "Whatever you say. Well, I'm tired so you can go back to the palace since I'm not what you're looking for."

"So, we're done." Zuko affirms and lifts himself off the bed to reach for the tangled mess of his robes.

His mind drifts to his sister as he shuffles back to the palace for what seems like the hundredth time after their talk over three days ago. The siblings took no time to get caught up with each other's lives, feeling a special bond growing between the two of them more every time they spoke with each other. It felt different than the brother/sisterly connection they had previously shared.

Zuko's memories flutter back to the brief intimacy between the two a short time ago. Her flesh was so supple and soft and he wished it would have lasted longer, or he would have been able to kiss her somewhere else, even though he felt so dirty after he did it and he still feels so dirty thinking about his own sister like that. What can you expect for a fifteen-year-old boy, though?

Aria had told him - while she was brushing out the wrinkles in her dress yesterday - that she had always hated her body and was very self-conscious, which he didn't understand since every teenage boy in the Fire Nation was dying to touch some part of her, wanting to take advantage of her new teenage body.

Her body was nothing like the Fire Nation women the teenagers were used to, whose builds were lean and muscular with little curves. Any boy who's seen Aria would tell you how attractive the girl was. She particularly reminded him of Inna, her beautiful mother from the Southern Water Tribe. The girl's figure was stunning to the male teenagers (he had been told): her breasts were the perfect size (not too small and not too large), she had a slim waist, and her hips were wide, not to mention her butt and thighs were amazing. She had meat on her bones and was nothing like Mai in any sense.

The girl's figure wasn't noticed that much by Zuko of course.

He was stunned to realize that his thoughts has drifted to his own sister, even though he was just involved in a such an intimate act with Mai, but the Prince was getting so tired of the same type of woman over and over again. He could get any girl in the Fire Nation to sleep with him, but just like every man, he needed variety and the women around the palace weren't cutting it.

Anytime Aria takes a stroll around town, the boys would start tripping over each other to get to his little sister, admiring her developments over the years. They would eventually attempt to kill each other to try and be the first to take her innocence if she ever told anyone about her virginity. Aria swore to him she had never technically had a first kiss yet, let alone anything more intimate.

He just couldn't let anything more than that happen. He was her older brother and he needed to protect her for those kinds of guys. The kinds of men who thought a girl's feelings are just a game to play with whenever they want. All the more reason for the brother and sister to spend more time together, though.

Zuko didn't realize how long he had delved into his thoughts until the heavy doors of the palace are opened by two guards as he slowly approaches.

He bows to both older men then trudges to the flight of stairs that lead to hundreds of bedrooms, including his own.

Zuko was exhausted and he didn't even get to finish what he started, with Mai stopping him right in the middle of his attempt at decent sex for just once with her.

His feet come to a halt as he starts to pass Aria's room. He could talk to her about it and ask what he should do about Mai. She always talked to him when he needed a girl's perspective on things, even if it was three hours past midnight.

Zuko turns the golden handle until the door to the young fire bender's room is slightly ajar.

The thin stream of light shining from the hallway rests on the girl's eyes, causing her to rustle underneath the burgundy bed sheets.

The prince quietly slips between the two doors, leaving barely enough room for light to seep through. The doors shut with a hushed squeak, eliciting no reaction from the dreaming girl, motionless a few feet from him.

A slight flick of his wrist causes a small red flame to appear in his palm, the only illumination in the darkness of the room.

He tiptoes his way to the girl's spacious bed, careful not to make a peep, slowly settling beside his little sister.

He noticed how innocent and serene she looked while she was sleeping. Her features were soft and her mouth was curved into a small grin, the only sounds heard was the light, steady breathing coming from the girl.

Soft fingertips caress Aria's cheek, causing the girl to respond by letting out a soft moan. Her eyes flutter open and then squint against the bright flame in her brother's hand, taking a few moments for her eyes to focus on his face.

As her sight finally adjusts, she rubs the sleep from her eyes and extracts a drawn out yawn, extending her arms above her head, enjoying the muscles stretch and relieve themselves from being frozen in a deep sleep.

"So, it's gotta be late. What are you doing here and why aren't you asleep?" Aria asks curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"I just thought I'd check on you." He shrugs, his statement sounding the least bit convincing to her.

"It's Mai, isn't it?" She sighs, "Tell your sister about it."

She leans her head on Zuko's shoulder and wraps her arms around his waist.

"It's not like you don't know how she acts. It's not just with sex - it's with - everything." Zuko huffs.

"Ohhhh, so you guys were screwing. I get it. I've always wondered how she would be; she's quiet isn't she? And she's all "I'm bored . . ."

Zuko had to admit that his sister's impression of his girlfriend was spot on, even with the identical expression on her face. It kinda terrified him to a degree, aside from the fact that they are total opposites.

"Well, yeah. That's pretty close."

Aria sniffs a patch of Zuko's clothing on his shoulder and scrunches her nose.

"Yep! Your shirt smells like sex and teen angst to me."

"Haha. Not funny. The reason why I came here was to get your input and now you're mocking me."

Aria loudly sighs, staring at her brother while pursing her lips. "So, let me get this straight, you want me to tell you how to handle this situation even though I've never had a relationship?" She asks, an annoyed look on her face, "Why don't you ask Ty tomorrow? It's late and I'm tired."

"It's awkward talking to her about this stuff. At least I know I can trust you with this. Besides, you're a girl, you help me with this stuff all the time."

She chews on her bottom lip as she ponders what her brother just told her. It seems like he needed her help, so what will it hurt? Her mother had always told her she would be good on giving any type of advice.

"If you feel like she's not giving one-hundred percent, then dump her. Neither of you sound happy in the relationship anyways, so why stay?" the girl shrugs her shoulders.

"Thank spirits you said that. At least I'm not the only that feels we needed a break. We broke up tonight."

"What happened tonight? She couldn't meet the Prince's needs?" she winks jokingly.

"Exactly." he says flatly.

Aria shoves the covers off of her body and maneuvers them to lie at the end of the bed. She sits on her knees on the cold, wooden floor in front of her brother and rests her elbows on his thighs, peeking up at him through her long eyelashes.

"What is it?" the Prince asks, forcing his eyes to pull away from the young firebender's cream skin of her cleavage now exposed from her new position.

Aria turns her gaze away from Zuko and a slight blush crosses her cheeks. "Nothing."

"No, tell me." He says, now curious at his sister's sudden reaction.

"I just - what does it feel like?"

"What does what feel like?"

"Like, real kissing and - uhm - stuff." The girl plays with her fingers and her voice cracks as she tries to explain what 'it' means.

"Oh, wow. I don't know how to really explain it. I mean, it feels really nice and stuff, but it's kinda hard to explain without a demonstration." Zuko replies, rubbing the back of his neck.

Aria moves back to her original position on the bed beside of the older firebender. Her hair was tousled from her tossing and turning during the night and she refused to meet his awkward gaze. "Oh. I just always wanted to know what it feels like to have a real kiss. I've had a few pecks on the lips, but nothing - meaningful."

A large knot forms in the girl's throat as she tries to make the decision to ask him the inevitable question or not, becoming afraid of what his answer might be.

"I think I'm going to go to bed." she whispers.

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll go shower and get to bed too." Zuko sighs, waiting for his sister to tell him to stay with her like they've been doing every night since she arrived.

"No, please stay. I feel lonely without you here." Aria whines, sounding like a fussy child that wasn't getting her way with her parents.

She pats a spot on the bed beside of her and beckons him closer with an innocent smile on her face.

A small grin spreads across the Prince's lips as he crawls across the spacious bed, settling beside his petite sister comfortably.

"Better." she sighs, cuddling her nose in the crook of the teen's neck, enjoying the musky scent of his skin.

They lie next to each other, just enjoying the feel of each other's bodies for the next few minutes.

The girl snaps out of her daze as the faint smell of perfume and other dirty, yet familiar scents glide past her nostrils. Mai's perfume that had rubbed off on his skin while the two were fucking (her best friend taught her that word a couple months ago and she loved it and has used it ever since). He reeked of sex and sweat and the thought of what dirty thing her brother had been doing with that girl before he decided to hop in bed with her churned her stomach. She turns away from her brother, disgusted, with a hint of jealousy in her emotions that she tries to shove back into her unused thoughts.

"What's wrong?" He asks, oblivious to the cause of her reaction.

"I can smell Mai's perfume on you and it's giving me a major headache." she growls through grit teeth.

"Oh, sorry. Is it my shirt?"

The boy sits up, adjusting the comforter to rest across the two firebenders snugly. He then arranges the blanket to lay on his waist as he resumes his position beside his sister.

Aria grips the blanket within her grasp and hugs the silk against her chest, savoring the feel of the smooth texture against her bare skin.

She lay there in silence for a few beats and the rational part of her brain started telling her that there was no reason she should be jealous. He was her brother and that's all he'll ever be, so she should stop thinking about him like that. It's disgusting.

"You asleep?" Zuko whispers, his voice sounding closer than before.

"No, I can't." She says flatly, deciding to roll onto her opposite side to see how close he was to her.

As she faces him, his body was so close their noses almost touched. It startled her when she was forced to gaze into the golden eyes of her older brother.

They looked nothing alike, which was why every time they went out, people would always mistake them for a couple, adding to the girl's stupid fantasy.

The feel of an arm wrap around her waist brings her out of her thoughts. Zuko hugs her close to his body, the feel of her ribs under his touch, below only the thin, satin camisole she's wearing (beside the smallest panties he's ever seen) reminds him how fragile the girl really is under all that powerful bending.

Aria's breath catches in her throat when she feels the bare skin of the boy's waist, realizing he must have taken his shirt off while she was on another planet, respecting her, even thought it wasn't the source of the problem. It's the thought that counts.

Aria still couldn't catch her breath after struggling for an hour, especially when Zuko pulled her hips against him, her butt against his groin. Her back was against his torso and he felt her lungs collapse with each steady breath as she slowly drifted back off to a peaceful sleep.

They slept side by side all night, Aria's body molding into his comfortably.

...

...

...

"How romantic!" Ty Lee swooned, sprawling across the fresh green grass of the garden with a Romance Scroll in her hands.

"Are you reading those scrolls again?" Azula sighs. "I don't know why you like them. I mean, they're nothing but fiction anyway."

"That's the point, Azula! None of this stuff happens in real life, and it's good to get away from all the stress sometimes! It's sooooo bad for you skin." Ty replies with a cheery voice.

Azula sighs in exasperation, spent from the insomnia she's been suffering the past couple of nights, thinking about how to outdo her sister.

She realizes something's missing, "Ty Lee, where's my brother and that _girl_?"

"Ew, let's not talk about them. I don't want to be anywhere near Zuko." Mai chimes in with her signature bland voice.

"That girl is your sister and she has a name - it's Aria. Besides, she's really sweet!" the acrobat laughs.

The princess rolls her eyes in aggravation, "Don't mention that peasant's name to me! Have you seen them or not?"

Ty Lee shakes her head and focuses her attention back to her Romance Scroll, tuning the annoying voices of her friends out.

...

...

...

"So, why are we walking around town for no reason?" Aria asks, glancing up at her big brother.

"It's either here or back with Azula and Mai, which would be really awkward. Your choice." The Prince shrugs.

"I'll go with here."

"I thought you would."

The siblings were fairly far from the palace and they couldn't be happier. Someone was always riding their backs about something or another.

Earlier today, Aria had gotten word from one of the guards that her father wanted to see her at Sundown. No sooner, no later. Spirits above don't even know what it's about.

It was mid-day now, so she had a few hours to spare to wander around the streets with Zuko.

They pass a fairly small tea shop and glance at each other, silently asking one another if they should step in. Aria shrugs her shoulders as if to say, "Why not?" and they walk inside.

...

The tea shop was larger than it looked from the outside. It had a very welcoming atmosphere to it.

There were small, wooden tables placed around the cafe. Burgundy pillows with golden trim were sat around each of them to be seated on. A red tablecloth was laying on every table, covering it completely to prevent the wood from ruining if spills were to occur. It wasn't all that crowded though, just a few couples here and there, which surprised the two as it was so nicely done.

At the back of the shop there were shelves and shelves of different types of teas to choose from. You could buy the teas and make them yourself, Aria guessed by the way the shelves were setup. There was a large chunk of the counter covered with jars of sweets and candies to buy. A young woman, no more than 20, was stationed behind the counter to check everyone out, and she seemed very polite to all the customers that arrived. Every so often, a person that was working there would come from an open door in the back of the cafe with cups of tea and hand them to customers.

The walls were painted the signature Fire Nation red used for everything there. EVERYTHING.

The thing that Aria hated the most covered with that color? Everyone's clothes were red, including Aria's robes, mainly because Ty insisted she wear them since they looked good with her hair and eyes. The firebender _hated_ the overused color. She loved the greens of the Earth Nation personally.

The tea shop was a very inviting setup, and soon enough the two were seated at the back of the cafe sipping their tea, enjoying the time to just themselves.

"This is nice." Aria states, examining the room while stirring her tea nervously.

"Uncle used to have a tea shop at Ba Sing Se. It was called The Jasmine Dragon. Everyone said he always made the best when it came to tea." Zuko says, staring into his cup.

"I know. My mother and I have been there a couple times. The tea was to die for, and that's saying something."

"I didn't know you went there, but I guess I didn't realize it was you since you usually hate tea."

"I saw you, but you've change so much. I didn't recognize you at all."

"Small world."

"Small world."

The two toast to each other, knocking their glasses together and taking the final sip of their drink.

...

"Did you talk to Uncle when you visited?" Zuko asks as they saunter to their destination.

"Yeah. He's such a nice man. He was always kind to me. He never treated me any different like the rest of my family." Aria states, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"I turned my back on him. He was the only one that stuck by me through everything and I sent him to prison. Just 'cause I want to be accepted."

"I know how that feels. The need to feel accepted." She pauses, "I bet you miss him."

Zuko shrugs his shoulders and with that, the conversation ends.

They amble down the streets, detesting the hungry stares the male and female teenagers are giving the two.

"So what do you think Dad wants?" Zuko finally asks, looking at Aria as they stroll toward the palace, now within their view.

"He probably wants to use me for some scheme he's planning." she shrugs.

It was sundown by the time they arrived at the palace after spending the whole day together, feeling refreshed.

"Good luck!" He says in a mock voice as he strolls off to his room.

After struggling, Aria had found the throne room finally after being stuck in a maze. She still forgot where her own room was sometimes.

And she thought her mansion was large.

The guards open the menacing double doors and she stalks her way inside, the towering blue flames just as luminous as ever.

"Ah, you made it. A little late, but I'll accept it." the Fire Lord says, standing and steadily walking his way towards Aria.

'Oh, great. He's being nicer than usual so he probably wants me to do something like kill someone.' Aria thinks.

"So, if you want to be aside me in my plan to rule the world, I need to know you will do as I say, no matter what it may be."

"Wait - r - rule the world?" Aria stutters, her eyes growing wide.

"Of course. I want to make this world a better place. I just need _your_ help to get one step closer. I think we can work something out." He pauses, a wry smile playing his lips. "You don't want to be know as 'the mistake' anymore, right?"

"No. I don't." she whispers, her eyes gazing at the floor.

Fingers run through her hair, causing her to make not one move, afraid of what's going to happen next.

"You will be very useful by my side. Once you prove you're worthy, of course. When I become ruler of this world, I will give you everything you wish, my dear. Just do one thing for me, so I can be sure I can trust you." His mouth is pressed to her ear as he speaks, his voice sending chills down her spine. He sounds - soothing. Aria's never heard this softness out of him and she can't get enough of it. She's reveled by the idea of his acceptance for once in her life. She then shuts out the rational part of her brain completely as it tries to tell her something's not right.

"Anything, my Lord." Aria coos, melting in his arms.

...

...

...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**So, another chapter here, and yes, I did just stop with a cliff hanger. Muahahaha!**

**Sorry if it sucks, which I know it does . . .  
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**Haven't updated in a week because I'm losing my inspiration . . . **

**I don't know if anyone really likes this story, but, whatevs.**

**I'm trying to escalate Zuko and Aria's relationship every chapter, so hopefully it isn't too much.  
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**This is a REALLY weird chapter and so was the last one. They're really boring, but they will get better.**

**By the way, anybody wanna guess what he's planning? ;D**

**I knew I was gonna put his plan in the story when I first started writing it and I hope you guys will like it. Poor Aria's falling into his trap again, but it's so easy. He knows just what to say to pull your strings, especially throwing the whole, 'You don't wanna be know as 'the mistake' anymore, right?' Tsk tsk tsk, so dirty of him.**

**...  
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**KnightOfZaku: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for sticking with the story!**

**VividDreamer624: Thanks for all the constructive criticism! It really helps and I'm glad you're dedicated! It's people like you that keep me going! I thought about what you said and went back and looked over the story. Burning someone and then blaming it on someone else does sound like something Azula would, especially when she despises them, so I thought I would add that to the story. It was supposed to be a flashback Aria was remembering, but I completely agree, so I touched that chapter up with some stuff you mentioned. I really have to watch myself, but I'm just starting out, so it's good to catch yourself early.**

**Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl: I have an idea of where they're relationship is gonna go, but I'm still working on it! It's my little secret. ;D  
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**...  
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**Thanks for all of you that have favorited and reviewed and everything! It means so much like me, and you people keep me going with this story. If it wasn't for you, I would have completely stopped writing this . . . **

**...  
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**By the way, I have a really good idea for a story, but I don't know if I should start working on it. It's Zuko/OC, but they're not related. xD It could really go somewhere, but I'm still iffy about writing it and putting it on here for everyone to read.**

**I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS STORY AND R&R? It makes me wanna continue with every chapter 'cause at least I know _someone's _reading and enjoying it! :DD  
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	6. Chapter 6: Sneak Peak!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE!:**

**Hello everyone! Merry Christmas! **

**So, I have something HUGE for this story on New Year's and I can't wait for everyone to see it, and, being the nice person I am, here's a sneak peak. (:  
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**Oh, and, thank you for adding this story to your favorites and alerts. I love you all so much! *huggles* I've gotten over 700 views on my story! *tears* ^.^**

**Thanks for reviewing and I wanna know how EXCITED you are for the New Year's chapter. x)**

**ONTO THE SNEAK PEAK!**

**...**

The streets of Ba Ling were bustling more than ever on the eve of New Year's. The children took over most of the population in the streets and were being their aunry selves, pushing people aside while holding their little red flags with the Fire Nation insignia printed on them, waving them around, almost proudly.

"Jeez, I'm getting really claustrophobic." Aria complains, while people repeatedly bump into her shoulders and step on her feet.

'Why did Ty Lee make me go?' Aria thinks, as someone steps on her toe.

"OW! Watch where you're going!" She rests a hand on Zuko's shoulder stopping him in his tracks to clutch her throbbing foot.

"What is it?" He aks, grabbing her free arm to hold her steady.

The girl glowers at him, "I'm going to be dead by the time we get the chance to attend the damn ceremony."

Zuko chuckles, shaking his head. "Get used to it being like this, for tonight at least. I'm sorry that your foot hurts, though."

She relaxes and returns to her standing position. They resume walking in silence, well, they were silent. The clamorous sound of the crowd's voices was beginning to give the fire bender a sharp headache at her temples. She was going to go mad.

"Is there any place... quieter?" Aria yells over the roaring sound of drums, gripping Zuko's hand so she wouldn't be seperated from him in the sea of Fire Nation citizens.

"We could find someplace, if you want." Zuko yells back.

What! I can't hear you!" She yells into his ear.

"I said-" He pauses mid-sentence and drags Aria by the hand through the twisting and turning alleyways, trying to find somewhere that was quieter for the two.

After seeking for a muted area in the hoard of madness, they find a quiet alleyway and lean against the cold walls in relief.

The rock against their backs was moist from the large thunderstorm the night before, but didn't phase the two fire benders.

"Thank Tui and La we made it out of there alive." Zuko sighs, his hand still clasped tightly by Aria's small digits.

The girl suddenly grips the fire bender in a tight hug. "Thanks."

Her cheek rested on his shoulder and she rubbed his back, inhaling his musky scent.

The heat of his scalding body against hers, in the cold of the night, shared a feeling of comfort between the two.

She glanced up at her brother's handsome face inches from her.

A farmiliar flush creeped onto her skin, followed by a tingling deep within her stomach. What the hell? It was almost midnight, so why was she feeling like this? She was all too familiar with the warning signs and prayed to Edna, begging her to have mercy, especially in front of her brother.

The sensations hit like a tidal wave. Aria's breathing quickened and a slight film of sweat started to glisten over her body.

She noticed the body of the hot fire bender before her.

Curse him for behind so damn handsome with his gorgeous gold eyes and his kissable lips and his strong body that would look so good naked. WAIT! What the hell was she doing! He was her brother for spirits sake!

'Shut the fuck up, rationality!' she thought to that little voice in her head. She wanted him and wanted him now.

The girl wrapped her arms around his neck and the space between the two slowly became nonexistent. Zuko's eyes grew wide as his sister's velvet lips encased around his own. They felt like two silken pillow cases and spirits, were they warm. He couldn't believe this was happening and his knees felt as if they were tempting to buckle. Before a small groan could escape his lips, a voice screamed from the entrance of the alleyway behind them,

"It's the Akane! Prince Zuko, get away from her before she devours your soul!"


	7. Chapter 7: Her Destiny

**Title: **What She Left Behind

**Author: **winterxlovee

**Chapter Rating: **M

**Summary: **The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's altered. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except my original characters! All rights go to the Avatar team! Of course if I owned this series it would be so much less awesome, but it would have way more romance! ;D

**Pairing: **Zuko/OC, later on I'm pretty sure!**  
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**BEFORE YOU READ: THERE WILL BE SOME SMEXINESS BETWEEN OZAI AND ARIA AT THE BEGINNING, BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM AS DIRTY ONCE YOU FINISH READING THE CHAPTER! I PROMISE YOU. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT STUFF, SKIP DOWN TO THE NEXT PART, BUT THE TALK BETWEEN ARIA AND OZAI IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD REALLY READ. I THREW IN A TAD BIT OF SMUT, SINCE THAT IS ONE OF ARIA'S WEAKNESSES THAT OZAI HAS RECENTLY FIGURED OUT AND YOU KNOW HOW HE LOVES TO USE PEOPLE'S WEAKNESSES TO HIS ADVANTAGE... NOW, ONTO THE CHAPTER! (:  
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"So, do we have a deal?" Fire Lord Ozai asks, gaping at his daughter with a smug smile forming on his lips. If he had persuaded her right, she would quickly oblige to the task. If the girl could complete it, the man knew he would use her for harder tasks he wouldn't dare put himself or Azula in danger for.

"You want me to seduce the General?" Aria asks in a daze, turned away from her father with her mouth agape.

The Fire Lord stands adamantly behind the young girl, caressing her shoulders with the softest touch, showing confidence in his actions. "Not many people know this, but he has a soft spot for beautiful young girls like yourself."

"Why me? Can't Azula do it? I mean, she knows so much more stuff than I do. I don't know how to seduce anyone."

"You and I both know that everyone is aware of what Azula is capable of. You seem like an innocent girl just wanting company. He would never suspect that you were trying to extract secret information he's hidden from me."

"So you think he's keeping a secret about your own war plans from you?" Aria asks ignorantly.

He chuckles at the girl's innocence as he moves his hands to her young, yet wide hips. She had transformed into a gorgeous young woman, to everyone's amusement. With her stunning looks, she had no reason to not complete such a simple task. The Fire Lord was sure that as long as she wore something to his liking, the old man would submit.

She was very docile, which would aid in his plan to use her for the ruling of the world. She would lead the war aspect essentially, as he had no intention to keep his deal with her they had just made.

Ozai had already decided, he would manipulate her for his own personal gain and then lock her and that wretched mother of hers in a jail cell for their natural born lives. Or, he could keep her as a pet and have some fun with the young girl. He still hadn't decided.

The Fire Lord had remembered Inna. She was the best lover he had gotten the chance to be intimate with. She was the only woman that had brought him great pleasure without asking anything in return. He returned the favor joyfully when they younger, but as they had grown older he was disgusted by the idea.

The story of how they had found each other was completely distorted to the public, the truth known by only her and Ozai. It wasn't such a bedtime story you would tell a young child when they ask how Mommy and Daddy first met.

Their romance started when Inna had turned fifteen. But before they became lovers, the two were best friends and they spent every waking moment together for years, since they were toddlers. After their romantic relationship had started, the couple set the same routine as when they were friends, spending every waking moment together, until shortly after, when Inna had to travel home to the Southern Water Tribe because of the rapid growth of sickness controlling her father's body. Her mother had reached out to her and pleaded her to come home and take care of her sickly father, while Ozai was begging her to stay with him at the palace, as his princess. They had planned on becoming married and having many children; growing old together after many years and dying in each other's arms while they slept a peaceful sleep.

Ozai was still mourning over the loss of his love, until he met Ursa four months later. The new couple loved each other at one time dearly, and Inna returned shortly after the wedding, completely diminishing his plans. Ozai was just starting to get over the Water Tribe girl with his new wife. They contemplated which would be best for everyone and wished to keep their past relationship a secret, and feigned as if they didn't know each other.

But the feelings were still there as strong as ever, so he and the woman met in secret for three years, until Inna announced she was pregnant and he was the father. Zuko was two and Ursa was still pregnant with Azula when she found out about the affair. Soon after that, Ozai wanted nothing to do with the baby. Inna left for the Southern Water Tribe to raise the baby girl, and they never saw each other again, until six years ago. They would never let the truth between the Fire Lord and the Water Tribe peasant's real relationship (or child) become a trending topic, spreading like wildfire around his nation, which would dishonor him completely. Aria becoming known as the daughter of the Fire Lord from an affair would provoke the problem.

Ozai has changed within that time into a malicious ruler; he was the Fire Lord. He knew how much of a monster he had become, but his father had taught him that the only way to receive respect is if people truly fear you. It worked with Azulon and it had worked with him, and he had taught his children the same technique, though it failed miserably with Zuko.

He cares no more about love for anyone, and could feel no less emotion towards the mother of his child. All he sees when he looks at the woman is pure hatred. He hated the water bender for making him fall in love with her, and it almost costing him his marriage. The stupid bitch ruined everything and now, so is the girl. He couldn't help but see Inna when he looked into the young fire bender's eyes, his hatred growing for her each time he gave in to his curiosity to gaze in to her blue irises. For a second, he was proud to have such a beautiful young woman for a daughter; not to mention her natural ability to bend. He quickly got over it.

For now though, he was going to extract as much satisfaction for himself, using the young fire bender, as possible. As the saying goes, like mother like daughter. He knew that was true by seeing how bawdy Aria actually was.

He owned her. She was his and he would do as he pleased, whether Inna liked it or not.

"You know, you're so beautiful, Ari. I would be honored to be in the same room as you, let alone have you in my quarters." He whispers her name ever so softly, and his hands rest against the girl's flat stomach.

Aria's breath catches in her throat as she hears him whisper her name with a soft tone. The hairs stand up against the back of her neck on their own accord and a warm tingle travels down her spine to the core, at her horror. He was extremely close to her 'private spot' and a sweltered stirring started deep within her stomach. Aria felt like someone had set it on fire with lustful yearning, and she silently cursed Tui and La for having to give her such strong desires right at this moment.

One week out of the month, during her moon time, Aria would get strong lustful urges, and she would sometimes have to take matters into her own hands. It was bad enough, but it would grow even worse when the sun was at it's peak in the sky, she could tell by her shadow standing stick straight in front of her, on the ground. The young girl still wasn't ready for sex, even though she heard it was quite pleasurable, but her mother had told her to wait for someone she trusted to take something so precious away from her. Inna had told her that there was no wrong in pleasuring herself, for everyone did it. Eventually including Aria.

Ozai had found the waistband of her pants and slipped a hand inside, feeling the silkiness of the girl's mound. She was free of the wiry hair he had noticed on his previous female lovers and he guessed she seared the hair off, which was alot faster than any other technique used. He knew the girl had started puberty and she had to have owned some hair, but Ozai liked them hairless. The Fire Lord could see and feel the women so much better, and the idea of seeing his own flesh and blood, what he had supposedly produced with the aid of his used-to-be lover, aroused him. More than the man had expected. His 'daughter' was so warm and moist down there and the fire bender could not wait to ravage her once he got the first chance. He would tell nobody that he knew what his daughter _actually_ was, as he heard the peasant, Hukana, talking to her pupils about the Akane and a birthmark on the girl's neck.

The Fire Lord was smug with his work, getting acceptance when this girl before him let out small whimpers, urging him to caress the soft flesh of her slit.

He knew exactly what to do to elicit a positive reaction from her, as whatever the man was doing was sending the girl's nerve endings into a frenzy. She didn't care about anything. His touch was so warm and inviting and she wanted more. The rationality in her head was tucked away in the deep part of her mind. All she could focus on was the numbing pleasure she was experiencing at the moment.

'Son of a bitch!' She cursed him silently as she tried, but failed, to urge the emotions deep into her brain to never experience again with him, feeling deeply ashamed when a slight flush spread across her cheeks.

Ozai had her right where he wanted her. She was melting in his fingers, he realized, and a devious smirk spread across his face which the girl was unable to see. Everything was going just as he had planned and the man reveled in the feeling of triumph.

"So, my little Aria. Will you do those three little things I asked? After you finish them, I will welcome you with open arms." He cooed, his voice smooth like liquid copper. "You will be welcomed as 'Princess Aria' and soon enough, 'Fire Lady'."

"Fire Lady? What about Azula? What about you?" the young fire bender replied with a shaky voice, still indulging in his touch.

"I'm off to bigger things my darling. You won't even need a Fire Lord, if you wish. You will control the Fire Nation with a strong hand I'm sure." His voice was husky and he brushed the girl's nipple with the pad of his thumb.

Something felt really wrong when she snapped back into reality and her mind started working again. The poor girl soon found herself fading back to her dream world when he caressed the soft flesh of both breasts, now exposed from his exploring of her body, and he urges the nipples to life using her new hunger to his advantage. "If I gain your acceptance, I will do anything you wish, my Lord."

"Excellent." the Fire Lord smiles, his work now done as he extracts his hands from the girl's undershirt.

Now time for a little play. "Shall we relax in my quarters for the night? I still need to teach you the art of seducing, don't I?"

"If I am to complete your task, yes." Aria answered in a daze. Her mind was working on auto pilot, seeing as her head was just an empty skull. She heard or saw nothing as the two strolled toward the Fire Lord's quarters as if nothing but a tea party was to happen, getting quite a lot of shocked stares from the maids and guards that passed the two in the hallways. Aria was being used as some sort of trophy he had just won and was being shone proudly to all who walked by. They knew what was to happen next as the Fire Lord had taken so many women in his quarters, even Azula. Now it was Aria's turn to face the inevitable.

She had no idea what she was getting herself into.

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The distant sound of talking aroused Aria from her sleep. A film of sweat stuck to her face and she felt as if someone had lit her arms and legs on fire.

What happened last night? Why was she feeling so terrible and where was her mother to comfort her?

These were questions she wanted the answers to immediately.

The burning of her skin was becoming increasingly painful whenever she would move the slightest muscle and the girl decided to glance at the possible aftermath of the searing.

It was a terrible idea.

Aria screamed when she saw what was left of her skin. It was a mass of red flesh with blisters covering her arms and legs. The skin was completely seared off and she could barely tell they were appendages, looking like something you would see people dressed as to celebrate the Day of Koe. Around her wrists was where the damage had been committed the worst. Blood was trailing it's path onto Aria's hand and dripping off her fingertips. The sight had produced bile to rise from her stomach and she was forced to hold back the vomiting fit that was about to arrive soon.

'I just pray to Agni that Hukana can heal something this disfigured.' she thought to herself, fresh beads of sweat trailing their way down the side of the girl's face.

Hukana was the master healer, originally from the Swamp Lands (wherever that was), that Ozai had stationed at the palace for special tasks like these. Whenever he would burn someone out of anger, or for simple amusement, Hukana and her pupils were ordered to pick up the pieces, most of the times, literally speaking. Her work was amazing, seeing as some of the cases were so disfigured that nobody could recognize the near-dead person. Somehow, the healer could transform them into someone better looking than before the incident happened, making the skin softer in texture and the hair that was missing on the scalp grow back twice as fast and so much healthier. It baffled Aria to the extreme.

The girl loved hearing the healer talk, too.

Obviously Hukana had not arrived in the princess's bedroom, for the burns were still there.

A few heart beats passed and Aria's mother stumbled into the room, a troubled look upon her attractive features. Hukana followed swiftly behind, closing the doors once she rested her tools upon the bed.

Three small vials filled with an unknown white substance and a large bowl with (what looked to be) normal water that gleamed in the sunlight, peeking in through the burgundy curtains, were sat atop of the ample bed.

"Hey sweetie. Are you feeling okay? I heard screaming and was worried." Inna whispered in a soothing voice, brushing Aria's hair away from her sweaty face.

"I'm in a lot of pain. It hurts to move my arms or legs." Aria's voice cracked as Hukana ran her nimble fingers lightly over the fresh burns.

"Ah, yer sensitive to da touch. It don't surprise me dat da Fire Lord would do somethin' so heinous to his own daughter, dough." Hukana spoke while she carefully inspected Aria's burns, flipping both arms palms down to search for any signs of permanent damage.

" Can you fix them?" Aria pressed as the healer reached behind her for the bowl of the normal looking water.

"You seen 'da cases I been workin' on. I can fix anythin' with this milk." Hukana reassured her and reached for the three vials of the white substance. "It's rare milk from a nursin' dragon."

"Wait-dragon? Dragons have been extinct for a hundred years." Aria furrows her eyebrows.

"Don't worry! It's good fer you, little one. It'll heal those scars right up!" Hukana says in a cheery voice.

Reluctantly, the girl uncaps the vial and sniffs the liquid. The healer lifts the liquid to the young fire bender's lips, urging Aria to take a swig of the milk. The girl inhales sharply and swallows all three vials of the dragon milk in one hit.

"Tha number one reason it works is 'cause it's thousands 'a years old." Hukana winks, patting the uncomfortable girl on the shoulder.

"So you mean I just drank thousand year old milk!" Aria yells, starting to brush off her tongue with her hand, but realizes it's not the best idea as she lifts her arms slightly, the feel of searing pain travel through her arms to the bone, dragging quickly behind the slight movement.

The weird milk had a lingering after taste to it. Aria's taste buds had never been so sharp in her life as she could taste the power of the fire traveling from the mother to the kit, even after all these years. The warm liquid started oozing down her throat and coating her insides. It had a tanginess to it and left a heated sensation in her mouth, but the fire bender didn't mind once she saw the healing effects that were taking place at the moment.

A tingling sensation swept over her whole body and her head suddenly felt too heavy for her neck. The girl fell back into the bed and her mind swam with nonsense she hadn't remembered for years, ripping the cobwebs from the abandoned memories and shifting them to the crowded part of her brain.

"Ya need'a sleep now, young 'en. I'll practice on ya arms and you'll be gooder than new when ya wake up in a few hours."

The last thing Aria sees before her vision fades is Hukana making a single, fluid movement and manipulating the water to hover in the air, she then proceeds by coating it around her hands and making the liquid glow. The water bender places both hands on Aria's thighs, barely grazing her flesh with the water, yet Aria feels the muscles and tendons become renewed under the bender's touch, coddling the wounds.

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Aria remembered what had happened the night before. Her father had burned her arms and legs because the girl refuses to have sex with the man. She refused to give into desires and do as she was told, and as consequences, she was severely punished. It was her fault he told her, just like everything else that had gone awry in her life. She was always to blame for everyone else's mistakes...

If her mother ever found out he had tried to seduce his own daughter, she would force Aria to travel back home. The girl wasn't ready to go home, considering the possibilities of the tasks she hasn't completed yet. Like going on a second date with Zhen, or watching the sunset at the beach with Zuko, like he had promised her when they were younger, or... or gain her father's acceptance.

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"If you ever touch my little girl again, you won't need to worry about ruling the world anymore." Inna stood before the Fire Lord without fear, stalking into his chambers after Aria had fallen asleep. The young fire bender's body was completely healed, though the mother still wanted to wring his neck for hurting her little girl.

Ozai stood up casually from the bed fit for ten he had been lounging on. "She's my daughter, too, Inna. She's not just yours, you know. It's like that saying; It takes two to tango, so I shall do as I please with her since she's still my child too."

"You've acted like she hasn't been your daughter for years, so why change plans now! I know what you're planning Ozai, and she's not your puppet. Aria isn't gonna turn out like you or Azula when she gets older if I have ANYTHING to do with it." the water bender yells at her past lover, who was shuffling his way towards her.

"It's called parenting, Inna. I was planning to raise her with you, to be a family, but I never got the chance when you took her away from me," the fire bender says all to sincerely, in a believable tone, to anyone that didn't recognize his tricks, of course.

"Oh, don't pull that shit with me! I left you because you were turning into a monster! I would never have wanted my child to grow up in that." Inna's temper was growing every time he would open his mouth and speak that nonsense. She knew exactly how he worked, he was a master manipulator and so was Azula, thought she felt sympathy for the poor child, seeing as what the girl had grown up in. "That's why, first thing in the morning, Aria and I are going to pack up our stuff and go back to Ba Sing Se."

A Cheshire grin covered the Fire Lord's face, "We'll see about that."

"What the fuck's that supposed to mean?" the water bender yelled, folding her arms neatly across he chest.

"Easy on the language, tiger." He paused, "I just don't think Aria would want to leave. You see how close her and Zuko are getting; I don't know if I've told you this, but a maid has caught them in the same bed more than once."

Inna was speechless. "What? The - the same bed?"

"Yes, darling. I suspect something sexual is starting between the two." He gripped her shoulders and whispered the sentence, barely audible against her ear. It reminded the woman of when they were first loves, and would whisper secrets in each other's ear like six-year-olds.

Inna had to remind herself of the secret she had been keeping from everyone about Aria. Including the girl herself. The realization of the fact the two teenagers might have something between them didn't disgust her as much once she rekindled the memory.

Remembering the fact, the water bender realized that she had to get her daughter as far away from the palace as possible before Ozai found out, which was becoming highly likely for every time she spent around people, who would be able to recognize the signs of an Akane. There was also another reason Inna needed to get Aria far away from the palace.

While the woman was strolling about the docks one day, she saw a familiar face: Chief Hakoda. They had been friends while Inna was pregnant with Aria at the Southern Water Tribe. She also grew to know Kya, talking about their pregnancies and motherhood, and the water bender even grew to know little Sokka too, who she fell in love with, he was so precious, and she always wanted a boy. She had gotten closer to the family as Aria grew up, until the woman had to move to Ba Sing Se to be with her family. Katara and Sokka were sad to see Aria go, as were Hakoda and Kya. Inna felt so terrible, destroying all of her daughter's friendships, even now, as she was taking Zuko and Ty Lee away from the girl. Sokka and Katara probably don't remember meeting Aria (and the other way around) when they were younger, after almost nine years, which would leave Aria with no friends once she got home.

The two adults had talked and caught up a little, and Inna's heart broke when she heard about the sudden passing of her closest friend, Kya, who was killed by a Fire Nation soldier. The warrior then proceeded to explain why he and his tribal warriors had come to the Fire Nation. The men were planning to invade the Fire Nation during the eclipse, when the fire benders were at their weakest, but they wanted to get an idea of what they had to overcome in person. Hakoda's son and daughter had met the Avatar, and the tribe and some friends were going to catch up with Katara, Sokka, Toph and Aang.

The warrior said that Aria had planned on meeting them to aid in the invasion, and then asked if Inna would come to help.

"I'd do anything to kick that son of a bitch off the throne. He's planning something horrid for the world with my daughter, but lets not get into it right now. We probably shouldn't be seen talking." Inna explains, whispering her last words in his ear with a hand on his shoulder, so she wouldn't be heard by other citizens passing the two.

"Yeah, probably not in public. How about first thing in the morning, you and Aria meet us here at this spot and we'll leave as soon as possible. I'll catch you both up a little more once we get going." Hakoda smiles. He was always so incredibly handsome to Inna. Seeing as the two would be spending much more time together, maybe the water bender had a chance with him. Aria did say she was a good-looking woman, and her daughter wanted her to find a good man and settle down... so what was stopping her?

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The streets of Ba Ling were bustling more than ever on the eve of New Year's. It was extremely dark except for the occasional glow of lamps being carried around by only men, following the Fire Nation tradition. The dim lights still didn't aid in the issue, seeing how clumsy Aria was, tripping over everyone's feet. Poor Zuko had to keep picking her body up from the street, his embarrassment growing every time her feet would fail her and sprawl her everywhere. He would mumble the occasional "Not again" or "Damn", but he would pick her back up and sweep her off, trying to be a good brother.

Aria was so happy she was better, the scars completely healed like Hukana had promised, as the girl had always wanted to see the ceremonial lighting of the great fire for years, since she had first arrived at the Fire Nation.

Zuko and Aria weaved through the hundreds of people ambling through the streets, each family traveling different ways. The children took over most of the population in the streets and were being their aunry selves, pushing people aside while holding their little red flags with the Fire Nation insignia printed on them, waving them around, almost proudly.

"Jeez, I'm getting really claustrophobic." Aria complains, while people repeatedly bump into her shoulders and step on her feet, "Where did Azula and Ty go?"

Azula, Ty Lee, Zuko and Aria had left for the Sun Ceremony about an hour ago, so it wouldn't be so crowded when they arrived in the town square. The Sun ceremony was a ceremony in which four male fire benders lit a large flammable ball on fire, to symbolize the burning of past memories from the previous year into nonexistence, forgetting all the lies told to you, wrongdoings that were committed, lost friendships and lost family members - so you could start off the new year with a clean slate.

The ball always perched on a large metal statue of Fire Lord Ozai in the center of the Ba Ling town square, and looked as if the man was holding it in the palm of his hands. The statue stood at almost fifty feet tall.

At midnight, everyone would look at the shadow on the moon, and the soldiers would order everyone to turn off all sources of light, and light the ample ball on fire which would mimic the sun, which is how the ceremony has gotten it's name over the hundreds of years. When the ball was nothing but ash, after only twenty seconds, was the ceremony finished and everyone could celebrate.

Azula and Ty Lee had wandered off to spirits knows where, and Mai was being her malcontent self, deciding to stay at home. Mainly because she didn't want to see Zuko at all, even after they had broken up over one week ago.

"They're probably picking out clothes or something." Zuko shrugs. "It sucks that they just left us here."

"Why did Ty Lee even make us go?" Aria gruffs, as someone steps on her toe.

"OW! Watch where you're going!" She rests a hand on Zuko's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks to clutch her throbbing foot.

"Ty thinks it's good for us to get socialization. And she probably hopes we'll find somebody here, which I think is stupid! I'm just getting over Mai." He complains, grabbing her free arm to hold her steady.

"That's all I need is some dick trying to control me. Dad's bad enough." She tells him, still massaging her foot through the thin boot.

"I heard about what happened this morning. About him burning you..." Zuko whispers.

The girl glowers at him, trying to escape that route of the conversation, "I'm going to be dead by the time we get the chance to attend the damn ceremony."

Zuko chuckles, shaking his head. "Get used to it being like this, for tonight at least. I'm sorry that your foot hurts, though."

She relaxes and returns to her standing position. They resume walking in silence, well, _they_ were silent. The clamorous sound of the crowd's voices was beginning to give the fire bender a sharp headache at her temples. She was going to go mad.

"Is there any place... quieter?" Aria yells over the roaring sound of drums, gripping Zuko's hand so she wouldn't be separated from him in the sea of Fire Nation citizens.

"We could find someplace, if you want." Zuko yells back.

"What! I can't hear you!" She yells into his ear.

"I said-" He pauses mid-sentence and drags Aria by the hand through the twisting and turning alleyways, trying to find somewhere that was quieter for the two.

After seeking for a muted area in the hoard of madness, they find a quiet alleyway and lean against the cold walls in relief.

The rock against their backs was moist from the large thunderstorm the night before, but didn't phase the two fire benders.

"Thank Tui and La we made it out of there alive." Zuko sighs, his hand still clasped tightly by Aria's small digits.

The girl suddenly grips the fire bender in a tight hug. "Thanks."

Her cheek rested on his shoulder and she rubbed his back, inhaling his musky scent.

The heat of his scalding body against hers, in the cold of the night, shared a feeling of comfort between the two.

She glanced up at her brother's handsome face inches from her.

A familiar flush creeped onto her skin, followed by a tingling deep within her stomach. What the hell? It was almost midnight, so why was she feeling such strong emotions only felt in the daytime? She was all too familiar with the warning signs and prayed to Edna, begging her to have mercy, especially in front of her brother.

The sensations hit like a tidal wave. Aria's breathing quickened and a slight film of sweat started to glisten over her body.

She noticed the body of the hot fire bender before her.

Curse him for behind so damn handsome with his gorgeous gold eyes and his kissable lips and his strong body that would look so good naked. WAIT! What the hell was she doing! He was her brother for spirits sake!

'Shut the fuck up, rationality!' she thought to that little voice in her head. She wanted him and wanted him now.

The girl wrapped her arms around his neck and the space between the two slowly became nonexistent. Zuko's eyes grew wide as his sister's velvet lips encased around his own. They felt like two silken pillow cases and spirits, were they warm. He couldn't believe this was happening and his knees felt as if they were tempting to buckle under the weight of his body. Before a small groan could escape his lips, a voice screamed from the entrance of the alleyway behind them,

"It's the Akane! Prince Zuko, get away from her before she devours your soul!"

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"Oh, Azula! Look at this pretty red dress! It would look soooooo beautiful with your black hair!" Ty Lee swoons, fingering a red, beaded dress on a rack in the ample store.

"What do I look like, Ty Lee? A concubine working at a brothel?" Azula scoffs, stalking out of the concrete building. The clothing store had been here since Azula was a little, but had made drastic changes every year, in order to please the shoppers searching for oncoming styles.

"But we need to get you at least _one_ dress!" The acrobat runs after her best friend, leaving all the pretty clothes behind, even though they were calling her name.

"Ty Lee, I'm not going to waste my time shopping for ugly dresses I won't even put on. We could be doing something else, like making faces at children while their parents aren't watching."

"Azula! That wouldn't be nice. New Year's is supposed to represent time with family and friends. And getting that New Year's kiss!"

Ty Lee pursed her lips and started making annoying kissing sounds. Azula wanted to turn around and smack that smile off the girl's face. She couldn't worry about boys when she had a country to potentially run in the future. She knew how boys were: overbearing, arbitrary, and completely inferior to her.

"Did you see that new girl lightning bend the other day?" a boy Zuko's age asked to his friend, who was standing beside her as the Princess and the acrobat slouched against the walls of a small tea shop.

"Ya know, slouching isn't good, 'Zula. Having perfect posture makes you seem more confident in yourself, and also makes you look skinnier!" Ty Lee pointed out, removing herself from the wall and adjusting Azula's back so she was standing up perfectly straight.

"Ty Lee, shhhh!" Azula hissed, straining her ears to hear the two boy's conversation against the loud drumming that was passing by.

"Yeah, where did she come from? She's got yellow locks!" the other boy exclaimed, clutching a handful of his own raven colored, chin-length hair.

"Hey, at least we get someone new besides all these skinny-ass Fire nation sluts. I'm sick of seeing the same faces whenever I fuck these girls."

"Yeah, she's pretty hot. I bet she's awesome under the sheets. If only I could get her alone, away from _Prince Zuko_. I seriously think they're fucking..."

"More than likely, since girls are constantly all over him. But, hey, maybe we could get her into having a threesome with us..."

You think she'd really be up for it?"

The Princess paraded, followed shortly by Ty lee, over to where the two boys were standing. "She's too naive and I don't think she even knows about that nonsense, seeing as girls are much more than a good fuck and have more important things to do! She is a virgin after all! But, good luck fulfilling your _impervious _wish, boys." she paused to crack her signature laugh, "Stupid, hormonal fiends... Ty Lee, let's go!"

She turned and marched away, leaving the boys in complete bewilderment.

"Virgin?" they both asked in unison, staring at each other with their mouths agape.

...

...

...

"You don't belong in this world." the old woman explains, reaching for a large scroll on the top platform of a large bookshelf, filled with hundreds of techniques for each element, and documents dated back years before the two teens were born.

It was the same woman that had stopped the two siblings -wait- friends in the alleyway. The woman whose name was Ukka had begged them to follow her to her house so the woman could explain what secret had been kept from Aria, delving deeper into the history of the Akane further.

The old woman rests the scroll on the table and unwinds the aged paper, asking Zuko to hold it in place.

"The spirits send an Akane down to Earth to watch over the world every one hundred years, same as the Avatar. The Akane watches over the humans and disguises themselves as one of them to keep the God of Shadows from entering the human world. The Akane shall aid the Avatar to keep the world in a state of peace. Like the Avatar, the Akane is able to have control of all four elements, but it is rare." Aria read bits and pieces of each paragraph aloud as she ran her finger along the ragged piece of paper, trying to comprehend what she was reading.

She paused, biting her lip, "There are multiple ways to recognize an Akane: their blonde hair and blue eyes will radiate in a mimic of their element. Their features will not be placed in any one category; nor Fire Nation, nor Water Tribe, nor Earth Kingdom, nor Air Nomads. But the main way to recognize an Akane is inspecting their skin; a certain birthmark rests on their neck: the marking if the spirits."

Zuko's brow furrowed, "What the hell's the marking of the spirits?"

"No one knows. It doesn't go into much detail, but it does have a painting of the Akane looks like." Ukka answered, pointing her finger to the bottom of the page.

The fire benders gasp, "It... it looks just like me." Aria whispers, bending over the scroll to examine the painting closer.

"I think you're alot prettier." Zuko smiles, her blue irises meeting his golden gaze.

She giggles and pulls him into a tight hug, "You're just saying that."

The boy shakes his head and joins in her giggling.

"I see you two really fathom each other." Ukka points out, standing on the opposite side of the table where the two friends were.

The young fire benders separate themselves from their cuddling, a dark red blush evident on their cheeks, over their cream skin.

The elder woman laughs, "I thought so. But your parents would never approve, would they? They think you two are siblings."

The teens shrugged their shoulders in unison after crossing their arms over their chest.

Ukka started again, "You know, most of these scrolls say that an Akane has a soul mate. One person in the world that doesn't care where you came from, or the sacrifices you'll need to make."

Aria spoke up, raising her hands to motion the old woman to stop speaking, "What do you mean "sacrifices"? Does this have something to do with you telling Zuko to run because I was gonna devour his soul?"

"You're an intelligent child," the woman sighs, "The Akane was given the duty by the spirits to rid the world of its evil souls. If you think someone is committing unimaginable evil, or if you just want revenge, you have the power to... how should I say this... extract someone's soul from their mortal body, and they shall be gone from this world. It's a power that shall never be misused just for fun, for it is punishable by death..."

...

...

...

The two teens percolate through the front door of the palace, starting to pass by Aria's mom wringing her wrists in solicitude.

"Aria, I have some bad news..." The girl's mother stopped the pair before they had taken their first step past her, just entering the door.

"What is it, Mom? Zuko and I are tired and we're gonna hang out in my room." Aria sighed, grabbing Zuko's hand and starting toward the stairs.

"We're leaving the first thing in the morning." her mother spat out, stopping the young girl in her tracks, mid-step at the bottom of the stairs.

Aria whipped her head around, suddenly becoming skittish. "Listen, I know what happened with Dad was bad, but we can make arrangements. You and I can stay in a separate house, I won't answer when he summons me anywhere, I'll ignore him and Azula and anybody else you don't want me to be around at all costs. Just, please Mom! Haven't you taken enough from me! I've lost every friend I've ever known, we've moved from house-to-house, school-to-school! I don't wanna do it anymore!"

"I don't want you to turn out like Azula has! He is brainwashing everyone into believing that what he is doing to his children are okay! It breaks my heart to have to take you away from Zuko." Inna pauses, glancing at the gap between the two that was barely there, "I know that you've been spending alot of time together. Ozai told me that a maid saw you two in the same bed during the night. More than once." Inna had feigned like it affected her, talking about the two being in the same bed.

Aria's heart skipped a beat and her hand clenched Zuko's tighter. 'She doesn't know that Zuko and I aren't actually related.'

"About that, Inna. Aria and I are really close, but I would never take advantage of her like that." Zuko unexpectedly spoke up, the abrupt sound in the awkward silence making Aria flinch.

Her mother percolates the situation and chooses to ease the truth onto Aria lightly. "I know you wouldn't, Zuko. But everyone at the palace thinks that you're brother and sister. It just doesn't look good for your reputations." Inna replied, resting a hand on the Prince's shoulder.

"Wait-you know?" The girl asked, looking at her mother in a baffled manner.

"_You_ know?" The water bender retorted, gazing at her daughter with the same look on her visage.

"Yeah... a woman named Ukka stopped Zuko and I because she recognized me and took us back to her house. She told me everything. Everything you've been hiding from me..."

"Ari, I-I don't know what you wanted me to do. You never would have understood the burden placed on your shoulders until now. The spirits would only show you when _you_ were ready." Inna pulled her daughter into a tight hug, a single tear streaming down her cheek. She didn't want to let the girl go. She was so afraid Aria would slip through her fingertips and meander to the current of Ozai's alluring words, to never look back again, becoming stranded in the sea of destruction.

"So, what should I call you now? Inna? Or should I just stick with Mom?" Aria suddenly questioned, acid staining her words.

The woman pulled away from the girl, her mind was bewildered. "I'm still your mother. It's Ozai that isn't your father, Azula and Zuko aren't your siblings. But I gave birth to you. The spirits placed you in my stomach and you were the greatest gift I could have ever received. I knew you were destined for such amazing things." She brushed a strand of hair away from the girl's face that had fallen in front of her eyes. "I always knew you were special since the day you were born. When the past Akane visited me in my dreams exactly thirteen years ago today, two months before you were born, she told me you would be the next ancestor down the line. I was sad, because I knew you would have to sacrifice practically your whole life to save us. To save your own mother, who was supposed to protect _you_."

"Thirteen years ago today? Wow, the spirits work in strange ways..." Aria murmured to herself.

Wiping the tear from her cheek, Inna shooed the two off to bed, warning them to keep a low profile tonight.

"I'll meet you in your room." Zuko whispered in the girl's ear, then kissed her lightly on the cheek before stalking up the stairs.

"So, we're still leaving?" Aria asked, turning to her mother one last time as Zuko trotted off to her bedroom.

"It's too dangerous, especially now that your secret is out." her mother carefully explained, shooing the girl to catch up with Zuko once again.

Before turning to leave, the young girl flashed a sincere smile to her mother, silently telling her that she loved her more than anything, a gesture that only a mother and daughter would understand.

...

...

...

Aria hastened to her room, she couldn't wait to be alone with Zuko and get some peace and quiet for the first time in three hours. Azula and Ty Lee were still at the ceremony, talking to guys and stuff.

As Aria pushed open the red doors, the first thing she noticed was a very handsome Zuko shedding off his shirt.

Her... feelings still hadn't subsided and Zuko wasn't helping the situation, given his masculine chest was mow exposed.

'No wonder every girl in the Fire Nation wanted to fuck him. Look at him, Ari! And he's not even your brother, so what's stopping you from ravaging him right here, right now?' She argued with herself as she sprawled out onto the silken bed sheets, a low, pleasurable moan escaped her lips as she felt the softness of her bed. Had her bed been this soft this morning?

Zuko released an audible sigh from his lips, resting his head on the girl's soft breast, which was much better than any pillow he had slept on in his life.

Her breasts were much larger than Mai's, seeing as his previous lover was almost flat-chested. The girl didn't like her breasts played with, either. Apparently she 'saw no reason to waste time on foreplay'. The Prince had just wanted to make his girlfriend receive more pleasure than he had (which was very little).

'Maybe Aria would like her breasts licked and sucked?' he asked himself, nudging the mound below his head with his cheek. This new-found knowledge about their relationship had started swirling ideas through Zuko's brain that he was too timid and embarrassed to think about before. Since no taboo would be taking place, a whole realm of possibilities released themselves inside of his mind.

"How are you finding the new pillow I bought you?" Aria giggles, and the boy above her feels her lungs expand and collapse, moving his head with the sharp movements.

"Best pillow in the whole world." he sighs with content, snuggling her breast closer against his cheek and resting his hand to lay on her smooth stomach.

"We might as well enjoy each other's company tonight, while we still can." she huffs, moving a hand to lightly massage the Prince's scalp.

"I don't want you to leave, 'sis'," he replies with a joking tone. Aria felt him smile as he spoke.

"How crazy is that!" Aria suddenly sits up, tearing a comfortable Zuko away from her bosom.

Zuko laughs in a daze, "I know! We're not brother and sister, so that kiss doesn't mean anything bad." He winks at her with a wry smile already across his lips.

"Okay, the kiss was the work of the hormones. You how you guys get random boners? Same thing with us girls, but we only get it on our moon time, and they're not boners..." she says, raising an eyebrow to question the logic behind her sentence.

"Well, is the need to kiss me finally gone?" Zuko asks, almost in a suggestful manner.

The girl purses her lips, "Nope."

She didn't know what his reaction would be, but soon found out as he kissed her temple, then her cheek, and rested his nose against hers, almost rubbing them against one another.

Both teenager's breathing became more shallow as they ceased their movement, waiting for each other to make the first move.

Slowly, Zuko caressed his lips with hers before the girl could think. He pressed his lips harder against the two soft pillows and cupped his hand over her slender shoulder before he lightly squeezed, silently requesting the girl to kiss him back.

Aria's head was full of water with no fish to accompany it (her brain was there, but nothing was working in it). 'Oh my spirits! Zuko wants to make out with you! He's kissing you on the lips! Your first kiss!' Her mind screamed at her to respond and she finally did when he lightly sucked on her bottom lip.

She had _no_ idea what to do! What if she made a complete idiot of herself? What if she was a bad kisser? What if her breath smelled?

She pulled away abruptly before the teenagers could travel any farther, like that french-kissing stuff where you put _your_ tongue in _his_ mouth. Or _his_ in _yours_!

A confused look crossed his features as he took a second to figure out what was happening. 'Does she not like me? Did I got too far? Am I just a bad kisser?' Well, he knew the last question wasn't true, as many girls have told him how great of a kisser he was.

"Lets get some tea," she suggested, her voice husky from the large knot that had settled in her throat.

"Uhmm, sure."

...

...

...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE****:**

**Wow, what a weird/nasty chapter, right? I hope I didn't pass any boundaries when I wrote the first scene. /: **

**I'm sorry for posting this earlier than planned, but I think almost 10 days is enough to wait, right? xD**

**It's over 9,000 words, long like I promised, and sorry if it was so boring, but I wanted to get as much as I could so I ****would be able to move on with Aria at the palace and visit the Gaang, finally. (:**

**Well, now you get to see more of Inna, and a little of her and Ozai's back story. **

**Since school is starting back Wednesday, I'm not gonna have as much time to write chapters for homework and stuff. Damn school... -.-**

**I've been completely glued to Netflix watching, what else, Avatar! To mainly get ready for the next chapter, which is where Aria is going to meet the Gaang again! Yay! I can't wait to start, because I missed them. I think Aria and Sokka will get along quite well, since their personalities are so similar. They'll be best friends! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. :3  
><strong>

**So, here, wee finally get see Aria's secret destiny! AND, the beginning scene with Aria and Ozai isn't as disgusting, also seeing as he knows she isn't his daughter. Like I promised! Her and Zuko aren't siblings, so their relationship can be completely smexy! ;D**

**By the way, has anyone else wondered what Aria would look like for realz? I suck at drawing or painting but I do have an idea in mind. I can't do anything like that. xD  
><strong>

**...**

**Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl****: Thanks, I've officially updated, so I hope you like it!** **(:**

**KnightOfZaku****: Thanks for reading and I hope you like this chapter!**

**Karma-Firebender: I put it up a little early, but I hope you like it! ((:**

**...  
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**So, what's in store for Aria and friends the next chapter? Stay tuned for more on What She Left Behind: Chapter 8! :D**

**PLEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSEEEEEEE R&R FOR I DO ACCEPT _EVERY _COMMENT! I LOVE THEM AND THEY KEEP ME GOING TO WRITE THIS STORY. (:**

**TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN FURTHER CHAPTERS; THOUGHTS, IDEAS? (:**

**...**

**I WAS SOOOO HAPPY WHEN I GOT AN EMAIL LAST WEEK ABOUT SOMEONE ADDING MY STORY TO THEIR ALERTS!**

**SHOUTOUT TO YOU: WWEStarBaby!**

**I THANK ALL OF YOU FOR READING THIS STORY, ADDING TO YOUR ALERTS AND REVIEWING!**

**...**


	8. Chapter 8: Day Of Black Sun

**Title: **What She Left Behind

**Author: **winterxlovee

**Chapter Rating: **M

**Summary: **The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's altered. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except my original characters! All rights go to the Avatar team! Of course if I owned this series it would be so much less awesome, but it would have way more romance! ;D

**Pairing: **Zuko/OC, later on I'm pretty sure!**  
><strong>

...

...

...

**FLASHBACK**** (A MONTH AGO):**

_"So, what's cactus juice again? Aria asks, grabbing the container from Sokka's hand._

_The pair was settled comfortably around the beautiful fountain in the square of Ba Sing Se. The moon light beamed through the clouds and rested on their backs, their bodies touching to gain heat that radiated from the fire bender in the midst of the cool night. The lit candles that rested atop the fountain swayed and rocked with the gentle motion of the water, radiating off of the crystal fluid and lighting Sokka and Aria's every move in the light of the moon._

_Sokka gasps, "You've never had cactus juice?"_

_"No..."_

_"Try it! It's this amazing tasting stuff, but it makes you a liiiiiittle loopy for a while." Sokka tells the girl, who was still unsure of the drink he held in his hand. "Come ooooooooooooooooon. I know ya want iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"_

_The fire bender bites her lip, indecisive about what to do, before grabbing the container of liquid and taking a swig of it. She hands it back to her friend and wipes her lips with the back of her hand._

_The juice didn't taste as bad as she thought it would. It had a sweet taste to it and she liked the tanginess the liquid left in her mouth, even though it did send her into a coughing fit for a few seconds._

_"Your turn," the girl blurts out between coughs, giving the container back to the boy, and he took a large sip eagerly._

_He patted her on the back as the tickle in her throat began to die down, leading her to take another sip._

_"You okay, Aria?" Sokka asks, raising an eyebrow as the liquid fills her lips._

_She nods her head, offering the container back to the tribesman._

_"I don't think you should drink too much..." the boy warns, grabbing her hand when she starts to lift the flask for the fourth time, to take a drink of the cactus juice. "The side effects should be starting to kick in right about now."_

_"Ya know Sokka, you look soooooo pretty in that pink dress. We just need to braid your hair and get you a bow and you're done! Ready for the ballllllllll." Aria giggles, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him as close as possible._

_"And there it is..." Sokka murmurs to himself, leaving her to bask in the dream world her mind had made up. He knew what that euphoric feeling was like, losing all connections to the worldly stress and trials that were happening._

_"Why can't there be more guys like you? What's your secret, huh?" the girl asks.  
><em>

_Aria maneuvers to sit atop his lap sideways, hugging his head against her chest with her hands rested against the back of his skull, massaging his scalp._

_'Okay, maybe this was a bad idea.' The massaging proceeded, 'Never mind, this feels pretty good. A lot different from Toph's punches and Katara's motherly hugs given occasionally. It's like she's comforting me - in a best friend kinda way...'_

_The two sat that way for what seemed like hours, even though it was only short minutes that had passed._

_Even after Aria's cactus juice symptoms had been relieved, she still held him in the embrace. She felt like he needed it, almost. She felt his body become relaxed under her, and she realized how stressed he was, mainly from all this planning with the invasion of the Fire Nation._

_Time quickly passed by. Who knew where the moon's shadow was at this time of night? Aria was ready to face the punishment for being out so late, but it seemed that ever since the Fire Lord had informed the family that Aria would be forced to visit the palace, her mother seemed so much more uptight and on edge lately. It was understandable when viewing the situation from Inna's point of view..._

_"I should be getting home... my mother's probably worried sick about me." Aria whispers, the feeling of her chest swaying up and down as she talked fascinated the boy._

_"Yeah, everyone's probably worried that I've been kidnapped or something... you know how overly protective Katara is, even though I_ am_ two years older that her." Sokka sighs as Aria tears herself from his lap, which was feeling very empty at the moment._

_"Well, I had a really nice time." Aria tells him, fiddling with her hair before straightening out the wrinkles of her long, satin dress in the famous leafy green color of the Earth Kingdom._

_"Ditto." Sokka smiles, rubbing his arm awkwardly._

_Before Aria turns to leave, she presses her lips to his innocently, for just a fraction of a second, and waves at him as she turns to head home._

_"Wow..." He whispers to himself, while the voice inside his head is screaming like a school girl._

...

...

...

**NOW:**

"How long is this gonna take?" Aria whines to her mother on the opposite side of the Southern Water Tribe ship.

"If you don't stop asking, it's gonna take longer, child!" Her mother retorts, not bothering to face the girl from where she stood, mingling with Bato and other tribesmen.

The young fire bender grunts in defeat, turning to face the dancing waves that were rocking the boat at a steady pace.

"It's not going to take that long, Aria. And your mother's right, the longer you think about how long it's going to take to get there, the longer it will actually take to get there, since you're thinking about actually getting there, which is expanding the time - I'm gonna shut up now." Hakoda tells the girl, stroking his beard.

He pats the girl on the shoulder and expels a throaty laugh, placing his arms on the wooden edge of the ship.

'Over-explaining things... he's definitely Sokka's father.' Aria laughs to herself, emitting an accidental giggle from her lips, followed by a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" The warrior asks, raising an eyebrow.

The fire bender covers her lips with her hand, "It's just that you remind me _so much_ of Sokka."

"Well, I am his father, so it makes sense."

"It's just nice to see a dad spending quality time with his kids. Or at least _trying_." Aria shrugs, fussing with the hem of her blue tunic.

"Ah, come on kiddo, I'm pretty sure the Fire Lord will lighten up and see what a great daughter he has."

Hakoda wraps his arm around the girl's shoulders with a reassuring smile across his face.

"Thanks." Aria smiles lightly, resting her head on the warrior's shoulder. "For listening..."

...

"Soooooo, what's the status between you and Zuko." Inna asks Aria, nudging her in the shoulder.

The girl rolls her eyes sharply, "We're not a couple, and we never were. We haven't even talked about it! We're just really good friends."

"Ari, I've been around a couple years, and I'm smart enough to know _something_ was going on between you two! I'm your mother, you're supposed to tell me everything. Details, details!"

"We kissed... twice. It was just a quick peck on the lips. Nothing special. That's all that happened, Mom."

"A kiss? Really? Aria, I taught you better than that! If you wanted him, you should have went for him! Too late now, Mai probably has him."

Aria's mouth falls to the floor, "Thanks for the encouragement, MOM!"

"I'm just stating facts, Aria." The water bender throws her hands up in defense, then kisses her daughter on the forehead. "So, what was the deal with him staying all night in your chambers? Did you guys _snuggle_!"

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

...

The boat finally docked and everyone stepped off the boat, Aria being the last to greet her friends. The girl staggers onto the deck, her eyes straining against the bright sun.

"Ariiiiaaaaaaaaaa!" Katara squeals as she steps away from her father to see Aria stepping off the boat.

"Kataraaaaaaaaa!" The fire bender laughs, staggering back as her friend encases her in a tight snuggle.

"You made it!" Katara says, fiddling with the pendant on Aria's neck.

"Yeah. I just had no idea that _this _is where the whole plan is going to be carried out."

"We had to pick somewhere discreet so nobody would see us coming." The water bender shrugs, Sokka nudging her to the side.

"Heeeey, Aria. Glad to see you came." Sokka says, flashing his toothy grin.

He swoops her up into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around her waist.

The girl wraps her arms around his neck and giggles against his neck, standing on the tips of her toes, seeing as she was so much shorter that he was.

"Okay you boneheads, stop flirting. We need to get to business. And I would really like to see what 'Princess' can do." Toph huffs, cracking the knuckles of all ten fingers at once.

"Toph, we weren't flirting. Can friends of the opposite sex not hug?" Sokka asks, turning to the earth bender standing on the man-made walkway beside the boat.

"It's not just that, Stupid, it's the way your heartbeats sped up when you guys hugged." Toph corrected, crossing her arms over her chest neatly.

"I'm a teenage boy, my heart flutters when I _think_ about a pretty girl, let alone _touch_ one."

"Awwww, he called you pretty!" Katara squeaks, nudging the two closer together.

"Katara, that means nothing. Just because I think Sokka's really handsome doesn't mean I wanna date him either." Aria shrugs, stepping away from the water bender's efforts.

Hakoda and Inna were far away from the friends but close enough to where they saw the conversation take place, and exchanged a set of glances as the conversation escalated, which none of the friends could see.

"Teenagers..." Inna laughs.

"You gotta love 'em." Hakoda finishes. "Even if their uncontrollable hormones are almost intolerable, but I do remember what it was like to be a teenager. I wanted to make out with every girl I saw."

"Oh yeah. Teenage years were the _worst_ years of my life. I especially hated how you would despise a guy one second, and then want to ravage him the next." Inna sighs, "Terrible."

"Annoying." Hakoda adds, finishing the conversation.

...

...

...

The Prince had been pacing around his bedroom all day, in an attempt to gather his jumbled thoughts. The boy was so conflicted, and he only wished he could ask Uncle for some much needed advice.

He was afraid that if he didn't leave now, his sister would brainwash him into thinking that what her and Ozai were doing was perfectly normal. Zuko just couldn't stay at the palace any longer.

That's when the boy decided: he was going to free the chains around his ankles (hypothetically speaking) and join the Avatar to help defeat his father.

"I'm sorry, Mai." Zuko whispers as if she was able to hear him, but it was only him in his room.

He was sure that Mai would never forgive him for abruptly leaving without warning, and to be honest, the boy didn't blame her. He deserved whatever wrath she would force upon him.

...

...

...

The strong, abrupt surge of electricity in the air caused goosebumps to cover everyone's arms on their own accord.

"Watch this." Aria tells the group watching her, with a smirk on her face, overrode with confidence.

After turning on the ball of her foot to face away from the large crowd, lightning springs from her fingertips and slices through the air towards the clouds, an earsplitting sound rippling through the group of friends.

The girl had been able to hone her skills, so she could aim with pinpoint accuracy, making one hit lethal to the normal teenager around her size.

The lightning was also like second nature to her; she didn't feel exhausted anymore when she would practice, and it was actually the opposite: she felt more alive than ever.

She continued the stream of electricity for a few moments, taking the mass farther through the clouds, before cutting off the alignment of her chakras, causing the lightning to dissolve once again in the fire bender's fingertips.

"Wow. How did you learn to do that?" Katara gapes, examining the girl's hands for sign of injury. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"I don't know. It's just something I've always been able to do. Of course, I've gotten a lot better at it! But no, it doesn't hurt. It feels like there's so much energy in your body that some of it has to escape. And you produce lightning." Aria explains to Katara and her other friends now surrounding her.

"Awesome. I wish I could bend something." Sokka says, pouting his bottom lip. "You guys have all these awesome talents and stuff and I can do, well - nothing..."

"C'mon Sokka! I know you'll find a master to teach you something you can master." Aria cuddles Sokka's waist.

"Well, he did learn how to work a sword a little while ago." Aang tells Aria.

"Yeah, a sword, but nothing like what Aria just did. Not like what you guys can do." Sokka tells the group of friends.

Aria ponders her brain for any idea of how to make him feel better. She hated when her friends were sad.

The fire bender snaps her fingers and stomps her foot in triumph. "I got it! Even though you may not be able to bend, it doesn't mean we can't teach you our techniques, right? Different moves to aid in all fields like flexibility, fluidity, agility, all sorts of stuff." She ticks the choices off using her fingers. "It could also go towards your sword training! PLUS, Ty Lee has showed me how to block chakral energy."

"That's actually not a bad idea, Aria. If you guys are up for it." Sokka suggests.

"Sure." Katara and Aang say in unison.

"I don't think Stupid is up for the challenge..." Toph issues, placing her hands on her hips in aggravation.

Sokka rolls his eyes, "Of course I am, Toph. Won't you help a friend?"

"I don't wanna have to be around you all the time, anymore than I have to right now." Toph shrugs, though Aria could tell that Toph was becoming uneasy by the awkward way her body moved.

Aria had become an expert on body language, which Azula was forced by the Fire Lord to teach her. The girl knew when someone was lying or telling the truth by looking at where their hands were placed, eye contact, shifting movements, etc.

The cream skin of the earth bender's cheeks was turning a bright pink, and Toph lowered her head to hide her embarrassment. She couldn't give the slightest hint that she was lying, and that she actually WANTED to be around Sokka.

...

...

...

"Is - is that Aang?" Katara asks, raising a hand over her eyes to shield them from the burning sun.

Just as the teens turn to look, Aang lands in front of them, his glider in hand, clearly in a distraught manner.

"Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down." Sokka pleads.

"He wasn't home. No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned." Aang explains.

All of a sudden, a light flips on inside Sokka's head. "They knew."

"It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long gone. Far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse." Aang says, fiddling with the ground beneath his fingers. "Wait - where's Aria?"

"Wh - wait, where did she go?" Katara asks, studying the area around them.

"She left a long time ago, but you guys were too busy to notice." Toph shrugs, clearly not paying attention to the conversation, but to the hastening activities sending wave after wave of energy to and from her "eyes."

"Maybe we should follow her. Well, where did she _go _exactly?" Sokka asks, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Some little mound in the dirt. It had a lot of - wait - that's probably where the Fire Lord's hiding! C'mon, we gotta go, before the eclipse starts." Toph tugs along Sokka and Aang and shows them where the fire bender entered. She presses her hands against the raised mini - mountain, and sends vibrations through the dirt,

"It's pure metal under there. It's like a secret bunker. How the heck did she get in?"

...

...

...

"Let me go. Now!" Aria yells, fidgeting and squirming under the strong arms of the soldiers that had captured her right outside the secret bunker.

'This is _not_ my day.' Aria thinks to herself, the grips on her upper arms growing tighter the closer they grew to the Fire Lord's secret throne room.

"I don't think so, _Akane_. The Fire Lord has given us strict orders to capture you and bring you to him." One of the men gripping her arms snaps at her.

After turning around corner after corner, the guards finally slowed down, and Aria was greeted with a pair of smaller - than - usual double doors staring back at her.

Two guards step in front of the group, and open the doors slowly, revealing more of Ozai as they grew wider. He sat atop a golden - painted chair, engravings of large dragons on the arms and legs. The man looked just as menacing that ever, even more so now that he knew he had won the ultimate prize.

"So, you thought you could escape me?" Ozai laughed, shooing his guards away with a swipe of his hand. "How cute you are, especially in chains. Always how I've pictured you, Aria."

The young woman wouldn't look him in the eyes, because she feared as to what may be lurking behind the golden pupils: darkness, accompanied with a dead, cold heart and lack of any sympathy for human emotions.

"What are you going to do with me?" Aria managed to choke out, the chains were growing increasingly heavy, and now that she was bound, she couldn't protect herself. The girl was genuinely terrified.

"For now, the guards will take you away until the eclipse is over and we can go back to the palace. Then, I think we could have a little fun. And I shall do whatever I please, since Mommy can't protect you now." Ozai said, in a voice too casually.

"So you know about the invasion?"

Ozai nodded his head."I already have war balloons leaving to destroy their ships, so they won't be able to escape."

'He doesn't know about Appa. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph and a few other kids can fit, so they'll be safe.' Aria thought to herself, and shortly after her nerves started dying down about the outcome of her friends.

"Where are you going to take the warriors? The boiling rock?"

"Only the chief, whoever that may be. Wait, I don't even know why I am answering your questions, actually." The man shoved the young girl toward the two guards standing at a small door, leading to spirits knows where. "Get her out of my site. Lock her in Cell A!"

"Cell A?" Aria gasped as the guards tugged her backwards and led her through the small door."

...

...

...

"What the hell do you mean you don't where Aria is?" Inna yelled, her heart starting to panic.

"She went into the bunker. We tried looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found." Aang choked, the tears still wet on his face.

Inna lowered her head in defeat. "Ozai has her now. There's no getting her back."

"This just wasn't our day." Sokka sighed, completely exhausted after the turn of events of today.

""You kids need to leave before the soldiers get here. We'll be fine." Hakoda ordered, motioning to Appa.

The group shared a round of hugs before the kids hopped on Appa and flew away.

"Where do you think they'll take us, Inna?" Hakoda turned to her once the huge bison was out of sight.

"They'll keep everyone at the Capitol Prison, but they always ship the leader to the Boiling Rock." Inna replied, the tears starting to dry on her cheeks. "Which would be you."

"Sounds scary." Hakoda chuckled, lightening the mood.

"I just hope Ozai keeps me close to my daughter. He has to know that she's the Akane. Why else would he want her so bad?"

"Aria's a really strong kid, Inna. She can handle anything thrown at her. Trust that she'll be okay." The warrior encases Inna in a soothing hug as the soldiers slowly approach on the horizon.

...

...

...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Hello all! So, I know it's been a little while since I've updated, but please forgive me! I have really good excuse. **

**I've been sick with the flu for a week, and I'm just recently getting better. Any of you know how terrible you feel. I didn't even want to get up to eat...**

**Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut I'm back now, so it's all good! :D**

**I hope it was legit, well Avatar legit. x) I had to go back and watch the episode, so... yeah.  
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**Btw, I am 100% Tokka. I hate Suki. I just think Sokka and Suki's relationship doesn't seem real to me. /:**

**Nobody says Aria and Sokka can't flirt, right? :3 (Which is what their relationship is: they're really good friends, who sometimes flirt with each other.)  
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**I'm ALS****O working on another story, but I want it to be a surprise. :3 It is Avatar and is set post-war, and it's gonna be pretty awesome! So look for it sometime soon. (:  
><strong>

**...**

**Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl: Yeah, I found that funny when I was writing it. Glad you liked it. x3**

**Karma-Firebender:**** I know right! :D Glad you enjoyed it.**

**blobie230: Hello and welcome! :D Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you liked it. I try to make them long enough. :P**

**...**

**So, what's in store for Aria and friends the next chapter? Stay tuned for more on What She Left Behind: Chapter 9! :D**

**PLEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSEEEEEEE R&R FOR I DO ACCEPT _EVERY _COMMENT! I LOVE THEM AND THEY KEEP ME GOING TO WRITE THIS STORY. (:**

**TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN FURTHER CHAPTERS; THOUGHTS, IDEAS? (:**

**...**

**I would also like to say thank you to truethoughts16 for adding this story to your faves. *Glomps***

**AND blobie230 for adding this to your alerts. :3 ILOVEYEW!**

**...**

****I THANK ALL OF YOU FOR READING THIS STORY, ADDING TO YOUR ALERTS, FAVING, AND REVIEWING! I LOVE YOU ALL!****

*****CUE CHEESINESS* YOU GUYS KEEP ME GOING ON THIS STORY AND YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION. (:****

****'TIL WE MEET AGAIN! :D  
><strong>**


	9. Chapter 9: The Prison

**Title: **What She Left Behind

**Author: **winterxlovee

**Chapter Rating: **M

**Summary: **The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's altered. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except my original characters! All rights go to the Avatar team! Of course if I owned this series it would be so much less awesome, but it would have way more romance! ;D

**Pairing: **Zuko/OC, later on I'm pretty sure!**  
><strong>

...

...

...

The poor girl sat with her back against the cold cell wall, her dark surroundings a constant reminder of what her life had become in such a short time. It had been five days since the Fire Lord had captured her during the invasion, and he had visited her every day since. He would only station at her cell for a short time, only to try and pump valuable information out of her. The man was intent on forcing Aria to confess her true power, and would do whatever it took, usually by forcing the guards to burn her until she begged them to stop, screaming only what she knew, which were bits of information to Ozai.

Hukana would always heal what was left of Aria's flesh, flinching whenever the girl's gutteral screams would rip at the strings of her heart. Ozai was malevolent, everyone was aware of that, but the man wouldn't let the young fire bender suffer, mainly because her screams were heard all throughout the walls of the prison whenever the girl would move the slightest, and it was annoying, always giving him a fierce migrane.

Aria's hands were bound behind her back in heavy shackles, and her wrists were rubbed raw from the friction of the chains against the girl's sensitive skin. The same tactic was also mirrored around her ankles, as was the stinging of her skin caused by the tightness of the cuffs. The guards were very thorough when it came to stopping all mobility so she couldn't fire bend. Aria would have been able to easily squeeze through the bars of her cell and slaughter every guard to stand in her way of freedom with a flick of her wrist, easily escaping the prison.

Tears streamed down Aria's cheeks as she drowned in her silence like a stormy ocean. When the hunger pains hit, it felt as if she was ripping out her internal organs with only her bare hands, and she silenced them for a short while by curling up on the metal ground in a fetal position.

After a few hours, the clanging of metal aroused Aria from her sleep, who was growing unsettlingly uncomfortable sleeping on the ground. She realized that someone was visiting her as the door was shut with a loud squeak. The girl didn't think Ozai would arrive so early, and she was mentally preparing herself for whatever he would throw at her.

"Look at what we have here." a familiar voice said, echoing off the metal walls. The steps of her visitor grew closer, and stopped short of the cell storing the Fire Lord's most prized trophy.

"I'm not in the mood... Azula." Aria managed to choke out, still laying on the ground, hugging her knees against her chest in an attempt to stifle the waves of pain traveling through her stomach.

"You know, the longer it takes for you to answer silly little questions, the longer you're going to be stuck in this cell, suffering." Azula says as she puts her hands on her hips, her voice becoming bossy.

"I'm telling you, Azula. I don't have any powers yet." Aria whined, not bothering to turn and face her "sister".

The Princess leaned against the wall, standing just outside the cell. She was growing increasingly tired with the peasant's games. What did the girl think Azula was? She could see right through the prisoner's feigned ignorance.

Azula sighed. "Just fess up, peasant. Then you and I can go back to trying to conquer the world together with the aid of Father. I don't want to admit it... but you would be extremely useful."

"I don't want to conquer the world, let alone share it with the likes of someone like you!" Aria yelled at the princess who was crouched down in front of her cell. The stomach pains had turned into a dull ache, so the girl could move around a little more. The girl tucked her arms under her legs and pulled them up so her hands were now in front of her. Azula's cold gaze never showed a hint of cowardliness. Aria crawled over to the cold, metal bars and gripped onto them, her knuckles turning white as she was eye to eye with Azula. Blue eyes met a harsh, golden gaze, and happily returned the visual assault.

"Oh, ouch. That really hurts." Azula mocked, clutching her chest in spurious agony. "You should treat you princess with some respect, peasant."

"You should go fuck yourself." Aria laughed when the Princess growled.

"You're this close. And to think I was going to pamper you a little." Azula grips the prisoner's shoulder, her nails digging into her skin. Aria tries to escape the teen's efforts because she knows what's going to happen next. As if on cue, the palm of Azula's hand becomes heated to a smoldering temperature. Aria's skin became reddened under the girl's palm, and Azula sat with a wry grin on her face.

"Azula, please. I - I'm sorry." Aria begged when the heat ramped up, and she had to bite her tongue to retain a scream, staring at Azula in bewilderment.

"That's _Princess_ Azula to you. Beg me. Beg me not to cremate you right now." Azula snapped, though her expression remained the same grisly smile as before.

"Please, _Princess Azula_. Don't hurt me. I beg of you." Aria had to force herself to say those words, and for her reaction to seem real, withholding snarky comments that would only end in disaster. A few disses wasn't worth an amputated arm that she would have to deal with the rest of her natural born life.

"Fine." Azula sighed, clearly depressed that she had to stop the torture, seeing as she was enjoying it so much. "Thank me for not incinerating you right here and now."

"Thank you Princess Azula... for not incinerating me right here and now." Aria mumbled, cringing as she spoke, silently cursing the princess with every profane word in the human language.

"What? I didn't hear you. Louder!"

"I said... Thank you Princess Azula for not incinerating me right her and now! What _that_ clear?" Aria growled and dropped her hands in her lap, the chains clattering against each other at her movement.

"Crystal." Azula smirked, reveling in the feeling of triumph. She knew that the words that were coming off of Aria's tongue were like acid, and the wench would never say them again, so why not enjoy it? Especially when the person that despises you most grovels at your feet, it's a feeling of triumph. Similar to the feeling of a great orgasm...

That gave Azula an idea...

...

...

...

"Where is my daughter! What the hell have you done with her!" Inna yelled to the man standing before her, scooting across the floor on her knees as her hands and feet were both bound the same way as Aria's.

"Inna, you shouldn't worry so much. We're taking good care of her." Ozai told the woman softly, striding over to the cell bars and gently tugging on them, causing the slightest movement.

"I want my daughter!" Inna burst into tears, and cried in such an agonizing way that Ozai actually felt a little sympathy for her, to his horror. "Give me my baby!"

"Look at what you've become. You're throwing a tantrum like a four year old, and on the floor of a prison no less."

"Oh, and you think you're better than me!" Inna wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her over-sized prison uniform. "Aria is my daughter, and I'm going to protect her no matter _what _the cost. I'm sorry that I don't feel _anything_ for anyone but myself like you do! I am so happy that I left this life behind before I could get wrapped up in the throws of power, and I would rather be laying here on this cold floor than standing by your side as Fire Lady!"

Ozai reached out a hand through the metal bars and stroked the soft, mocha skin of Inna's cheek. She didn't protest, and instead leaned into his palm, calming her cries as the attentions carried on. He noticed the outline of her full lips as they parted slightly to let out a soft sigh.

"Ozai," Inna started, fluttering her eyes open to look at him, "I don't understand... What happened to you? To us? Why can't we be a family again?" Her words slurred as she finished the set of questions and she sat there in silence, waiting for a plausible answer.

"You were the one to leave, and I thought you were never going to come back. I needed powerful heirs as soon as possible and I wasn't going to waste time tracking you down across the world. So I did what I had to do. What more is there to understand?" Ozai tugged his hand away and stood up, tucking his arms in the over-sized sleeves of his robes.

"Everything is about power for you isn't it? Did you ever truly _love_ me?" The water bender stood up and asked him just as he began to walk toward the metal doors.

"At one point, yes. But _love_ doesn't make the world go 'round. Fear is the only way to really control people; to make them do whatever you ask. They'll always stand by your side, and are too afraid to turn on you. Once you realize that, my dear, you will much better off." Ozai told the prisoner just before he sauntered off, to pay a visit to a certain little girl.

...

...

...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**I apologize for the shortness of this chapter but the next one will be EXTREMELY fun, I promise. (:  
><strong>

**Also, I just started a new story the other day. I don't wanna give too much away, but you should check it out! :D  
><strong>

**I have nothing else to say, so, bye!**

**...**

**So, what's in store for Aria and friends the next chapter? Stay tuned for more on What She Left Behind: Chapter 10! :D**

**PLEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSEEEEEEE R&R FOR I DO ACCEPT _EVERY _COMMENT! I LOVE THEM AND THEY KEEP ME GOING TO WRITE THIS STORY. (:**

**TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN FURTHER CHAPTERS; THOUGHTS, IDEAS? (:**

**...**

****I would also like to say thank you to ILY-Tyler for adding this story to your alerts! *Glomps*****

**...  
><strong>

****I THANK ALL OF YOU FOR READING THIS STORY, ADDING TO YOUR ALERTS, FAVING, AND REVIEWING! I LOVE YOU ALL!****

*****CUE CHEESINESS* YOU GUYS KEEP ME GOING ON THIS STORY AND YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION. (:****

****'TIL WE MEET AGAIN! :D****


	10. Chapter 10: Torture

**Title: **What She Left Behind

**Author: **winterxlovee

**Chapter Rating: **M

**Summary: **The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's altered. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except my original characters! All rights go to the Avatar team! Of course if I owned this series it would be so much less awesome, but it would have way more romance! ;D

**Pairing: **Zuko/OC, later on I'm pretty sure!**  
><strong>

...

...

...

"I - I can't do this anymore. I need to get out of here before I go insane!" Aria broke down into heated tears and resumed the clawing of her arms that she always turned to when overwhelmed.

It had been over two weeks that she had been locked in this cold, metal cell, and it was driving her mad. She hasn't seen the sunlight since she'd been in the prison, and her weight had plummeted drastically; her ribcage and hip bones were showing, and her cheeks had grown hollow. Aria's womanly curves were in the distant past, and she had no energy given that her body was feeding on the only food source it had left, which were her muscles. Her only food intake were a few slices of bread that were given to her once a week to keep her from falling ill, and possibly a food - deprived coma.

She lay in her cell and faced the dirty wall, after an hour of endless scratching of her arms. The fire bender decided to stop once immense blood was shed, which had dried on her arms and splotches were covering her over - sized prison uniform. Given her circumstances weren't the best, she was bound to catch some type of influenza.

Hopefully, she would rot in this damn prison so the torture received from Azula and Ozai could be a thing of the far past.

She raised her arms in line with the dim beams of sun light that lit her cell from the hole with metal bars that served as a window and examined her flawed appendages.

Light scars from the endless burns and punctures by many objects masked her cream skin. Hakuna had healed eighty percent, but some of them, the Fire Lord wanted left marked on her skin to let Aria know who was actually dominating who. She was the victim of various beatings and the receiver of all the Fire Lord's wrath. She wanted to die.

"Zuko." Aria whimpered, lightly caressing the scars on her arms. "Where the hell are you? I need you so much right now, and you're not here."

She wept into the palms of her hands and lightly gnawed on her thumb to mask the sounds of her crying, for none of the guards liked crying. They probably pitied all the prisoners, and just couldn't accept the aftermath of Ozai's destructive decisions.

"Aria?" A familiar voice whispered heatedly.

Her whimpering halted and she rolled over to face Ty Lee, the only teen that was on Aria's side of this ordeal. Ty Lee hated seeing her best friend in such a broken state, but was forced to travel with Azula, for she didn't want to face the Princess's _own_ wrath. She studied her friend and noticed the aura surrounding Aria's body like a halo. The colors were very dark, mostly black, with a hint of dark red, meaning that Aria was very nervous.

"Ty!" The prisoner half - crawled over to where Ty Lee was crouched on the other side of the thick bars, a rarely noted, worried expression coated her features.

"Ari, you look terrible! What's happened to you!" Ty Lee stood up and, flashing the set of keys in her hand, fiddled with the lock on the bars for a short moment and opened the cell door. Aria's aura had changed to a light blue once she realized it was Ty Lee and not a certain someone, so the acrobat knew that her friend had calmed down enough for her to discuss the important matters that had brought her there in the first place.

She stepped inside and plopped herself down in front of Aria with her legs folded under her. Ty Lee stroked Aria's long hair, and with her fingers, untangled the knots that had been formed from a lack of brushing over the weeks spent in here. Aria rested her head on Ty Lee's naked shoulder, purring in synch with the massage.

The acrobat, still continuing her treatments, glanced down at the dried blood covering Aria's arms and uniform and the multiple self-inflicted scratches. "What did you do to yourself?" She carefully lifted Aria's wrists and inspected the many scratches over her arms, and whether self-inflicted or not, they needed to be treated.

The fire bender pulled away from her friend's attentions and tucked her arms away from view. "It's the only way I know to come down to Earth and force myself to realize that all of this is actually _happening_." Aria paused to inspect her arms and run a finger along her pulse. "I'm not proud of it, but something is wrong with me, Ty! I hear so many voices, and they always nag at me about how unperfect and flawed I am! I deserve this! And If someone doesn't save me, I'll end up killing myself!"

The fire bender slapped both palms on the ground and let out a wail that could be heard all over the sector. She clutched her throbbing head as if someone was gnawing at the innermost, vulnerable parts of her brain; the memories that had been stashed away for nobody to ever know about. Her own mind was becoming her greatest enemy.

Ty Lee's heart broke as she saw her best friend unraveling before her very eyes. Aria was curled into a fetal position, and was sobbing on the floor, her tears were marked by little wet puddles on the dirty metal as they trickled off her face.

"P - please don't cry, Ari. I can't take it when I see my friends cry." Ty Lee stammered, her voice hitching as her own share of tears were cascading down her cheeks. She pulled her best friend in to a tight hug, finally collecting her thoughts and remembering why she came here in the first place. "I have something to make you feel better."

Aria, who was still sobbing into Ty Lee's arms, caught the faint glimmer of light reflecting from an object. 'Could it be?' She asked herself as she followed the path of the light and rested on a familiar necklace. "Is that...?"

"It's your necklace Zuko made you. I kinda stole it from 'Zula's room to bring it to you, so you would feel better... And I was planning on getting you out of here..." Ty Lee noted, her hopeful smile now showing the _real_ Ty Lee that Aria loved. The bubbly, ditsy, always has something good to say about any situation Ty Lee.

"B - but... if anyone finds out you were the one to break me out, who knows what'll happen to you! I'm not risking it!" Aria panicked. When did Ty Lee become _so_ selfless that she would risk her own life for a friend? She was always narcissistic - feeding off the attention everyone else gave her, admiring herself in every single mirror she walked by, and acting like she was so much prettier that other girls.

"Well, I was going to come back early tomorrow morning, let you out, and act like you kicked my butt while I was trying to stop you. That way I'm safe from Azula." Ty Lee suggests. It was a long shot, but anything that could be done to protect as many people during this, Aria would accept the challenge.

"I guess it'll work..." Aria wipes her face on the sleeve of her shirt and sniffles to show Ty Lee that she is done crying like a maniac.

"Great. So, see you tomorrow?" Ty Lee giggles as she sweeps Aria into a tight hug, sighing with relief. "You'll finally be rid of this place. Once and for all."

After her friend had left, Aria lay there and stared at the metal wall, and just reminsced on her past. There was one memory in particular she could not shake out of her mind:

...

...

...

"Mommy, why doesn't daddy love me like all my friend's dads do?" A six-year-old Aria was cradled in her mother's arms as they sat in their Earth Kingdom palace, in the study. They had just gotten back from their first trip to see Ozai and family, and Aria had been pretty down since then.

"It's complicated, my love." Inna smiles and kisses Aria on her forehead. "He does love you, he's just never been loved to know what it feels like, or how to show it."

"But he loves Azula." Aria sniffles in distaste, nuzzling her mother's neck.

"Trust me, baby girl, what he shows Azula is far from love." Inna assures, resting her cheek on the top of Aria's head.

"Has he always been like that, Mommy?"

"He and I were madly in love at one time. And he also loved Ursa."

"Ursa? Zuzu and Azula's mommy?" Aria looked up with a brightened expression on her face. Inna nodded her head in agreement, running her fingers through Aria's fine, almost-white hair.

"Do you miss them?" The mother asked her daughter, brushing her bangs out of the young girl's face. Inna stared into Aria's blue eyes, a mirror of her own. They showed such innocence, and the woman was terrified knowing that those eyes would soon enough be filled with remorse, betrayal, rage, and mostly, love. For love was the most frightening emotion; it could be heavenly and beautiful, but it could also hold along with it negative emotions. Inna knew from previous experiences. She didn't want her little girl to feel the same heartache she had when Inna was madly in love with Ozai. The woman had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last time the ex-lovers would meet.

...

...

...

"Get the hell up, scum! The Princess wants to see you ASAP, and she doesn't like to be kept waiting!" Two guards were hovered over her, lifting her up by the roots of her hair and her upper arms, and it felt as if her limbs were lead weights, so she couldn't escape if she tried.

'Shit! Not this again! Besides, it's dusk... Why does this have to be happening so late?' Aria thought to herself, the girl's head hung low out of sheer ebarrasment, and the fact that her neck could not support the weight of her head, so it just slumped sorely from her shoulders.

She was dragged out of her cell by only two guards this time, for both they and Aria knew that she was too weak to escape. The guards continued to drag her around a corner and through the halls of the Capitol Prison.

Everytime she saw a faint light shine in through the barred windows when the guards would drag her past, she would hurry and catch a glimpse. What windows there were, she could see the faint water of the ocean surrounding the prison, and also the jagged rocks along the cliff side, whenever the lighthouse would shine it's beam of light onto the area. Searching for escaped prisoners, no guess.

"Pick up the pace; I ain't got all day!" The guard that had just met with them instructed, thrusting her forward to emphasize his order, almost making her trip, if the men didn't start clutching her before she could face plant, that is.

"That room right there, men." The guard pointed to a metal door that was an exact replica of every other door in this prison. They opened the door with a squeak and Aria couldn't see what the room was actually holding, because they blind folded her before her eyes could adjust to the darkness. "Strap her in tight." He called again. She couldn't tell where the voice was actually coming from, but he was definitely in the room.

She was shoved into a cold, metal chair, and leather straps were wound tightly around her wrists and ankles, cutting off the circulation at those places. It hurt like hell when added to her already tender skin, and she gritted her teeth in annoyance as the three men left the room. She yanked at the bindings, creating heated friction between her wrists and the leather, but they never gave the slightest hint of giving.

"I wouldn't even try it. The leather is so strong I couldn't even escape." Azula called from behind Aria, her voice becoming bossy, as the prisoner could tell.

"We only chose the finest to tie you up in." Ozai added, stepping out of the shadows and into the light of Azula's now lit flame in the palm of her hand. "You should be grateful, wench."

Aria expelled a cackling laugh. "_Grateful_! You have me tied against my will, and I haven't had a meal in weeks! If this shit is what I'm supposed to be _grateful _for, I'd love to see what happens when I'm spoiled!"

_SLAP_! The skin to skin contact rang throughout the room, and the aftermath was felt on Aria's now - bruised face. She leaned over her chair and spat in the floor, the taste of copper now evident in her mouth from biting her tongue at the impact. Aria sputtered and coughed as Azula examined the broken prisoner before her.

"Well, well, well. Someone still hasn't found her place, now has she?" Azula mocked, lighting a small blue flame with her fingertip. "_Well_! Look at me!" The Princess gripped Aria's chin and twisted her face around so she could stare into her icy blue eyes. Azula's sharp fingernails dug into the skin of Aria's cheeks, drawing tiny droplets of blood. Aria wrenched away from Azula's advances to no avail, only forcing the princess to grip on to her tighter.

"Stop it!" Aria begged, though her words were slurred and barely audible given Azula's hold on her face.

"Father, what do you think we should with her?" Azula turns to the man who was beaming at the pair the whole time.

"I could think of many things, Azula." Ozai snickers, his face contorting into an evil grin, making Aria grimace and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on their own accord. "Azula, expose her chest to me."

The princess nods and reveals a small dagger from behind her back, then saunters over and rips the uniformed shirt from Aria's torso, exposed her chest just like Ozai had asked. Aria was wearing a plain white breast wrap, so nothing was exposed just yet.

Azula drags a fingernail down the pulse on Aria's neck and down her chest, applying slight pressure. "Aw, do I scare you, wench?" Aria was staring the wall adjacent to her and wouldn't meet Azula's cold gaze. The princess sighed. "I'll take that as a yes."

Aria struggled with the bindings once again as she felt the dagger that Azula held in her hand moments before being dragged across the skin of her chest. "Leave me alone, Azula! What do you want?"

"I want you to tell me all about your powers. Father and I did some research and found out that you're able to remove people's souls from their bodies. So, show us." Azula said as she applied more pressure to the knife, before bringing the tip to her lips and blowing on it, causing the metal to turn bright red. "Or else..."

"I'm telling you, I don't know how! Please don't hurt me!" Aria pleaded, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Azula, you know what you have to do." Ozai spoke for the first time, as he had been too busy watching the interaction between the two young girls.

"Gladly, Father." Azula smirked, raking the smoldered metal across Aria's neck and chest as she yelped in pain. The princess carved the letters of her name into Aria's skin one by one while she bit back a loud scream. She straddled the prisoner's legs and gripped the hair at the back of the girl's neck, yanking her head back so the sensitive flesh of her neck was exposed.

"I'll take it from here, Azula." Ozai stated, moving from his position against the wall to behind the chair at which the Akane sat. He marveled at the terrified emotion and vulnerability in Aria's face, and he brushed his fingertips across her cheek as she whimpered softly. "It's so sad that it had to come to this; such a beautiful girl as yourself shouldn't be wasted. But you understand that if you join us, your life will be spared."

"And my mother?" Aria whispered as she stared up at the man that could be responsible for her death shortly. Ozai smiled lovingly and assured her that Inna would be let free. "Okay. I'll do it."

...

...

...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE****:**

**I have nothing to say, only that this was a very fun chapter to write, but the torture isn't over YET! :D **

**Sorry for the wait, but FF has been acting up; it wouldn't let me log in to finish writing. Has anybody else had this problem!**

**Well, another note, I just wanna say that I appreciate all the faves and alerts, because I appreciate them, but reviewing ****gives me feedback from you! So please review? :D**

**...  
><strong>

**So, what's in store for Aria and friends the next chapter? Stay tuned for more on What She Left Behind: Chapter 11! :D**

**PLEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSEEEEEEE R&R FOR I DO ACCEPT _EVERY _COMMENT! I LOVE THEM AND THEY KEEP ME GOING TO WRITE THIS STORY. (:**

**TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN FURTHER CHAPTERS; THOUGHTS, IDEAS? (:**

**...**

****I would also like to say thank you to KJUN for adding this story to your alerts! *Glomps*****

**...  
><strong>

****I THANK ALL OF YOU FOR READING THIS STORY, ADDING TO YOUR ALERTS, FAVING, AND REVIEWING! I LOVE YOU ALL!****

*****CUE CHEESINESS* YOU GUYS KEEP ME GOING ON THIS STORY AND YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION. (:****

****'TIL WE MEET AGAIN! :D****


	11. Chapter 11: Escape

**Title: **What She Left Behind

**Author: **winterxlovee

**Chapter Rating: **M

**Summary: **The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's altered. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except my original characters! All rights go to the Avatar team! Of course if I owned this series it would be so much less awesome, but it would have way more romance! ;D

**Pairing: **Zuko/OC, later on I'm pretty sure!**  
><strong>

...

...

...

"So, how did you do it?" Azula asked through gritted teeth. She was backed against the metal wall, glaring daggers at the girl, as Aria was still strapped into the chair.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Aria managed to choke out, along with a few spurts of blood.

After Fire Lord Ozai had left the girls to tend to his business, Azula had gone crazy. Pain was throbbing in her chest from where Azula had kneed her in the ribs. Hard. She was sure at least one was cracked or broken. Her lip was split and Aria knew she had gained a black eye.

"When we were younger, and we were sitting in the throne room the last you visited, you bent that lightning. How? Was it with the help of the spirits? Since you belong to them, and all, you must have some super powers! That's the only explanation!" Azula slammed a fist against the wall and raced over to the chair as fast as a shadow viper, resting the palms of her hands on the leather arms. "Not even_ I_ was that superb at eight years old."

"Maybe I got lucky... Or maybe I'm just that good," Aria taunted, returning a cold stare as she cocked her head to the side.

Azula cackled harshly, "You're joking right? Nobody can beat me!"

"Oh, you just wait. Zuko is gonna kick your ass and _he_ will become Fire Lord. Not _you_!"

"Not unless he's _dead_..." Azula sauntered around the chair, "I did read somewhere that the spirits grant the Akane with a little extra power, giving them the ability to enhance their bending. For example: and eight year old fire bender can lightning bend, or a bender that has only been studying for a month has already become a master." Aria could tell by the acid in Azula's voice that she was referring to her, "But something I don't understand, is how do you control all four elements using your enhanced bending? You must have figured it out already, even though it's rare for an Akane to be in control of that much power! So why not kill me dead _right now_?"

Aria winced as Azula stood behind her and pressed a fingernail to her neck, and when the princess applied heavy pressure, it caused blood to rise from the wound and trickle down her chest to stain her prison shirt.

"Red is definitely your color," Azula sneered in Aria's ear and she traced the line of blood, and it became smeared against the prisoner's skin.

...

...

...

Aria had been returned to her cell while Azula was resting for the night, and she really hoped that Ty Lee would hurry along with the plan. She was beaten, bruised, humiliated, and the only actions the poor girl could do was drag herself around the cell with her loss of muscle and energy - and the occasional scuffle through the halls by guards; she would attempt to coddle her wounds to the best of her strength and ability, but without Hukana by her side, it didn't do any good.

Her thin arms were wrapped around her chest, the rows of ribs jutting against her fingers. She hadn't eaten anything in months except the weekly slice of bread and star fruit; Aria wasn't going to eat dry bread, but she wasn't going to give up fighting, either.

"Why didn't I just kill that bitch! I had the perfect opportunity right fucking there, but the naivety in me pussied out! I _hate_ being such a gullible girl! How she and Ozai could _trick_ me so easily!" Aria's head fell into her hands and she began sobbing.

"You're a child, just like the rest of us." Aang's voice was heard in the distance, and Aria stopped her cries and raised her head to look. He was sitting cross-legged in the opposite corner of her cell, elbows rested on his knees. The Avatar looked as if he was sitting before her; like he was actually there, except for the faint blue glow of his skin.

He was dressed in the same attire she had seen him in last on the Day of Black Sun.

"Aang!" Aria breathed as she clawed at his blue figure from where she sat, unable to move. "Is - is it really you?"

"Yeah," he smiled faintly, and stood up to move and sit beside her. "You look terrible."

She rustled the chains latched to her hands. "So I've been told," she said.

"What have they... done to you?"

She lowered her head. "I - what haven't they done to me?" Silence. "Do you know what they do to female prisoners? They've beat me, tortured me until I begged them to stop, and they raped me... they took the only innocence I had left."

Aang wrapped his arms around her small frame, and he could feel her spine peeking from her skin. "We're gonna get you out of here, I promise. Zuko's joined the group, and we're going in three days to stop the Fire Lord."

"Don't mention that traitor's name to me. He left me here to rot," she whispered into the crook of his neck.

"Aria, don't be like that!"

"Has he talked about me once?" She glared up at him.

Aang was silent.

"Exactly," Aria laughed.

"Hey! Shut up in there!" a guard yelled from the other side of the door, and he banged on it as he talked. "Wh - who are you?"

Aria turned her head towards the door, her shackles clanged against each other.

"My name is Fong Li. Azula sent me here to fetch the prisoner," a voice replied.

"But Princess Azula said - "

"Oh, okay. I'll fetch Azula and tell her you said that."

"W - wait! I'm just confused, that's all. Here are the keys," she heard the guard say.

The door was suddenly opened and it poured light in to Aria's cell.

"Aria," Ty Lee whispered as she shut the door with a creak. She was clad in a gaurd's uniform from head-to-toe. _So that's how she slipped past the guard! _Aria thought.

"Ty, I though you'd never come. Aang, look who's - " Aria turned to look at where Aang sat, but he was nowhere to be found.

"What was that?" the acrobat asked as she opened the door and hauled Aria to her feet.

"Nothing. Just... talking to myself," she murmured.

Ty Lee lifted Aria into her arms, as she was too weak to walk by herself.

"I'm taking the prisoner to the palace," Ty told the guard sharply once they were outside of the room. He just nodded his head and watched as she ambled down the hall with his prisoner in her arms.

...

...

...

"Listen, I want you to get as far away from here as possible." Ty Lee had carried Aria to the outskirts of town, near the fields of beautiful, tall grass and fire lilies.

"Come with me. Please, Ty. I'm _begging_ you," Aria cried in to her friend's shoulder.

"I - I wish I could, but Azula..."

"Azula doesn't care about you like I do! She wouldn't hesitate to kill you _dead_ if you ever got in her way." The firebender clawed at Ty Lee's shirt, not knowing that Azula almost _did_. "You're my best friend; my only friend."

She was cut short by a pair of lips pressed against her own and a hand pressed against the nape of her neck. The kiss ended just as it started, and when they parted, a pair of grey eyes gleamed at her.

"What was that for?" she asked, confusion in her voice.

"I - I don't know. Just to say I'm sorry for everything you've had to go through. And to say thank you," Ty Lee smiled, and she suddenly broke in to a fit of giggles. "Wow, I never would have thought I would kiss a girl until now, but you're really special to me, Ari."

Aria started giggling along with her friend, and she cuddled closer to her chest. "Don't go."

"Okay, I won't," Ty Lee whispered against her best friend's hair. "So, lets find somewhere to sleep tonight and get you cleaned up. Oh, and some food! How about it?"

"Sounds good. I'm so damn hungry!"

...

...

...

The friends sat at a small cafe in an esoteric village called Tai Bei. It was about 30 miles from the prison, and on the way there they had bought Aria some new clothes, and hoods for both of them to cover their faces, as they were technically fugitives...

"Oh my spirits, this food is amazing!" Aria praised, though Ty Lee barely heard her because of her full mouth.

The acrobat just stared at her friend with her cheek propped up on her palm, amazing at how healthy she already looked. It had been a couple days since they had escaped, and Ty Lee felt so free now that she wasn't under Azula's control anymore.

"What?" Aria asked when she finally became aware of her friend's intense staring.

"Just - happy to see you... alive, I guess. You're practically knocking on death's door," Ty Lee answered and rested her palm on top of Aria's. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she squeezed the fire bender's hand tightly. She didn't want to let her go. Aria was all she had left. "I don't wanna lose you!"

"Ty, don't - don't cry..." Aria pleaded. She stepped around the table and encased her friend in a snuggle. "We're okay now. Nobody can hurt us."

"But they already did! Those guards did terrible things to me... and to you." Ty Lee stood up and noticed Aria's bewildered expression. "Did they rape you, too?"

Aria replied only with a simple nod of her head. "And tortured me, and burned me, and beat me."

"Me too, me too."

...

...

...

_The sharp metal dug into Aria's skin_, _causing a shriek of pain to erupt from her lips._

_"You can scream louder than that, wench! Don't you want Mommy to hear you?" one of the guards spat, tugging her hair on the crown of her head._

_"Please! I - its hurts!" she cried as he forced himself inside her, causing a wave of pain to emanate from between her legs and travel through her spine._

_"How cute! The cunt's never fucked before," another guard laughed. He carved the letters of Azula's name into Aria's stomach one by one, painfully slow. "Princess Azula will love this."_

"Aaaah!" the girl screamed as she jolted up from the bed. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead and she felt insanely dizzy.

"It's okay. It was just a dream." Zuko sat beside her on the bed and rubbed her shoulders to console her. They both were nude with only a thin, red sheet to cover their bodies.

"Wh - what happened?" she asked him as she rubbed her forehead to clear her thoughts.

"You had a nightmare," he answered. Zuko trailed hot kisses along the side of neck as his hand slid slowly along the curve of her side. "Wake up, Aria. You've gotta wake up. We need to get going."

Suddenly, Ty Lee stood at the corner of the master suite, and she slowly paved her way over to them. "It's almost noon. Let's get going."

...

...

...

Ty Lee shook the fire bender, but she wouldn't wake up. Aria had been asleep for hours upon hours, and although Ty Lee realized beauty sleep was key, they needed to pack up camp and get started for the day.

"Hmmm?" Aria mumbled, and she started stretching under Ty Lee's arms. "Zukooooo," she giggled. His name was drawn out, as if she was jokingly scolding him for sneaking up behind her or something.

"Aria, c'mon, we've gotta get going. Get your lazy butt up!" She wouldn't dare ask what the heck Aria was dreaming about to say Zuko's name in her sleep.

"Five more minutes, Mom!" She rolled over and covered her head with her arms.

Ty Lee stood up with a huff. "We're gonna celebrate your birthday today!"

Aria shot up from her mat like a blind deer-moose in a forest fire at the sound of that sentence. "I'm up, I'm up!" She paused. "Wait, why celebrate today? It was weeks ago!"

"Everybody deserves a birthday celebration! Now get cleaned up, put some new clothes on, and let's get going!" Ty Lee reached into their new bags and pulled out a pair of dark green pants and a sea green bebe tunic with white hems, along with a fresh breast wrap and loin cloth.

"What about accessories?" Aria asked, knowing that Ty Lee would fluster at her sudden love for fashion.

Ty Lee sighed dreamily. "I thought you'd _never_ ask!"

...

...

...

After half an hour of choosing color-coordinated necklaces and bangles and such, Ty Lee designated a beautiful, oval-shaped, green pendant that matched Aria's skin perfectly.

"Green is definitely your color! Red is a close second." Ty Lee nudged some stray hairs away from Aria's face, and stepped back to admire her work. "We look like Earth Kingdom citizens if I've ever seen one!"

They gathered their things and headed for the town around a mile from their campsite.

"Hey you two!" a voice called from behind them. The pair glanced at each other before turning around to see a man around mid-thirties with two younger men behind him. "Well, well, well, look at what we have here. A couple of cute young ladies just asking for trouble. Where's your mommies? You shouldn't be all alone in a street like this unsupervised. Bad things could happen." He tossed the dagger in to the air, and caught it by the hilt when it fell back down. It looked perfect for killing.

"Aria, what the hell do we do?" Ty Lee whimpered, and she dropped her bags in the process of stumbling back out of the man's range.

"Stay here. I got this," Aria replied. She dropped her bags to the ground and took a few brave steps toward the men. An orange flame emanated in her hand and she grinned savagely. "If you want a fight, you've got one."

"Perfect," the lead man laughed.

He lunged at Aria with the dagger and she side-stepped his attack easily. She turned on the ball of her foot and as he approached, Aria connected the heel of her foot with his jaw, casing him to tumble backwards.

"Come on, I know you've got more than that," the fire bender teased, and hopped from foot to foot.

"Oh, you want more? I'll show you more!" He spat on the ground and revealed the blood in his mouth. The mysterious man pulled a second knife out of his pocket, and Aria felt both arms become bound by his posse. He charged at her with the knife, and before he was able to stab her, he fell to the ground like jelly.

_Ty, you sly bitch!_ Aria thought, as her friend was revealed behind the man laying on the dirt ground. She was in her chi-blocking stance with her fingers bent so her knuckles could perform their job.

The fire bender elbowed the man on her right arm in the stomach. He clutched his waist long enough for her to turn and knock the other guy's feet out from under him.

With a couple jabs, Ty Lee had rendered the robbers defenseless, and they hurriedly gathered their bags and raced to the nearest town.

"Agni, let's not do that again, okay?" Ty Lee panted from loss of breath and rested her hands on her knees.

"Those guys were easy, though!"

"But you know I _hate_ fighting! So, let's be more careful, okay?"

Aria huffed. "Fine."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Long time, no see, right? It's not like anybody missed me, though. *Nervous laugh***

**I have no excuse, but I hope you like this action-filled chapter. And some Aria/Ty Lee goodness. c:**

**I'm kinda losing inspiration, because I see that not many people like this story from all the negative reviews I've been getting. Well, not negative, just criticizing, I guess?** **And, don't get me wrong, I LOVE THEM,** **but I wanna know I'm doing something right. /:**

**Until we meet again.**


	12. Chapter 12: Reunited

"We really should attend Zuko's coronation..." Ty Lee pressed. Her and Aria had been arguing for half an hour on the best decision, and Aria wasn't about to give in. She was a tough one to crack. "You're been completely selfish, you know that? Ever since you've got out of prison, it's always been about you, and what you wanted! Well, ya know what? I wanna go to Zuko's coronation, so whether you like it or not, we're going back to the Fire Nation in a couple days. Argument over." Ty Lee stomped away from the campfire and in to her tent, leaving Aria to decipher her friend's words.

It had been a few days since they had escaped the prison, and since Zuko had defeated his sister. Word had spread like wildfire that Zuko was already getting crowned Fire Lord in a few days. Why Ty Lee wanted to go early, Aria would never know...

"I don't care what she says, I'm not going," Aria muttered to herself, hugging her knees to her chest. Her mother sat down beside her with royal clothes and adept hair.

"Aria, be a good girl and obey Ty Lee," her mother ordered. "You're turning into Azula."

Aria's eyes widened, and she turned to Inna. "Don't you _dare_ speak that bitch's name to me!"

Inna's eyes turned somber, "I'm worried about you, my love. You're not like you used to be."

"No, I'm not. I'm stronger. M-maybe Azula did it to strengthen me. I've always been weak; always naive."

"You're innocent. Don't let Azula manipulate you," Inna grabbed her daughter's face in her hands to tilt Aria's head up and look at her. "You will not be corrupted."

Aria smiled vacantly. "Too late."

The water bender stood, adjusting her robes, and soon her figure dissolved into thin air, only leaving behind her harsh words to echo in Aria's ears.

_You will not be corrupted. _Her mother had told her. _I'm worried about you, my love. You're not like you used to be._

* * *

><p>"Ty!" Aria yelled from the campfire. It had been over 24 hours since she had gotten some much-needed slumber. She was tired, and lonely, and... and lost.<p>

"Aria, what is it? Why are you yelling?" Ty Lee stumbled out of her tent like a zombie, wiping the sleep from the her eye.

"I really need you right now, okay? I-I'm scared." Ty Lee could see that her friend looked comatose in the light of the fire. Aria's eyes were glazed over and she wouldn't move.

The acrobat rushed over to her friend and knelt down in front of her. "It's okay. I'm here."

"Ty, I lost my fire bending. I tried to use it on the camp fire but I could barely produce a flame," she whispered, keeping her eyes locked on the orange flames dancing in front of her.

"Is that what you're so sad about?"

"No... My mother visited me last night. She told me I was becoming like Azula." Aria downcast her eyes and inhaled a ragged breath. "I don't want to be like Azula."

"W-wait. You saw your mother? But, Inna is nowhere to be..." Realization hit Ty Lee like... like something hard. "You were seeing things, weren't you?" Aria didn't respond. "Aria, look at me!"

Ty Lee crushed her lips to Aria's with a bruising force, trying to coax a reaction- any reaction- out of her.

Aria returned the kiss hungrily, clutching the acrobat's braid in her hand. She grabbed Ty Lee's waist and crushed their bodies together, moaning softly between both of their mouths.

"Aria," Ty Lee gasped when the fire bender pressed her lips to the pulse of her neck. "Wait."

Aria looked up to her flustered best friend. "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

"No. It- it feels great. It's just that- I know you love Zuko. You may lie and say you don't but I can tell."

"He betrayed me. You didn't, and I know you won't. We both want this. I know you do." Aria pressed a hand to the groin of Ty Lee's loincloth, and found that between her thighs were particularly dripping.

"Ari, I can't. You're-"

"I'm _what_?" Aria yelled, facing away from Ty Lee and raising from the log in which she sat. "Losing my fucking mind? No, I'm not losing it. It's been lost for a good fucking while!"

"You're scaring me, Aria," Ty Lee stuttered.

"Good," she hissed. "I'm going to bed."

* * *

><p><em>"Mom! Tell Azula to stop bothering me!" Zuko whined, swatting his sister's ignited hand away from his very flammable hair.<em>

_"Azula, leave your brother alone. Please?" Ursa strolled over to her children, who were quarreling just as they always did.  
><em>

_Young Aria peeked from the corner of the tall shrubs in the garden upon hearing Ursa speak, watching her new family members in awe. The royals were everything she had imagined- they had elegance, good looks, and such unique personalities.  
><em>

_Inna crept behind her daughter and bent down to whisper in her ear, "Why don't you go say hi?"  
><em>

_"But momma, what if they don't like me?" Aria whispered, her eyes pricking with fresh tears.  
><em>

_"Hey, why wouldn't they like you?"  
><em>

_"B-because, they're r-royalty, mommy," she sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.  
><em>

_The woman smiled down lovingly at her daughter. "But remember, my love, they're still human like you and me. They get nervous and lonely and they need to meet new people too! Besides, you may grow to like them."  
><em>

_"I guess so..."  
><em>

_"Soooo," Inna placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "go ask them to play with you or something."  
><em>

_Aria gave her mother a smile before turning on the ball of her foot and skipping towards the royalty.  
><em>

_"Do you want to pet the turtle ducks, Zuko?" Ursa sat beside her son on the edge of the pond after Azula had run off to play with Mai and Ty Lee. _

_As a mother, her heart broke for Zuko. He didn't have a friend to play with like the other children.  
><em>

_"Excuse me," a small voice said from behind them. Zuko and Ursa looked to find that it was that little girl Ozai had invited with her mother. The woman could tell how weary the girl was by the way her hands shook as they hung to her sides.  
><em>

_"Hello," Zuko responded first, arms crossed over his chest in aggravation. That's all he needed- another Azula in this family.  
><em>

_"Zuko, be nice now. She's a guest," Ursa chided, a look of disapproval across her beautiful features._

* * *

><p>Aria had lay up- again- all night thinking about the good times she had when she was child. When he was a child, and was carefree and didn't have such a burden on his shoulders. When Azula was a child and wasn't such a fucking bitch like now.<p>

Oh, how she missed them. _Him_, more like it.

* * *

><p><em>"I am going to sing to you a song that has been passed down from generation to generation all throughout our family," Iroh had told Aria on the eve of her ninth birthday.<em>

_A slow set of beautiful chords started to play as Iroh hummed to the music. His raspy voice chimed in with the most meaningful words she had ever heard.  
><em>

_"Leaves from the vine,  
><em>

_Falling so slow,  
><em>

_Like fragile, tiny shells,  
><em>

_Drifting in the foam.  
><em>

_Little soldier boy,  
><em>

_Come marching home,  
><em>

_Brave soldier boy,  
><em>

_Come marching home."  
><em>

_The chords continued on as Iroh scooped the little girl up and sat her atop his lap:  
><em>

_"Leaves from the vine,  
><em>

_Rising so fast,  
><em>

_Like clouds made of happiness,  
><em>

_You will always have,  
><em>

_Little baby girl,  
><em>

_Stay here in my arms,  
><em>

_You are always in my heart,  
><em>

_Forever more."  
><em>

_"Wait, Uncle Iroh? I thought there was only one verse?" Aria asked, her eyebrows furrowed.  
><em>

_"Well, I thought you deserved one. You're the closest thing I've had to a daughter- a child, besides Zuko- since Lu Ten died. Azula won't let me treat her like a daughter..." Silence. "None of you children have a father worthy enough for your love."  
><em>

_"I love _you_ Uncle Iroh," Aria smiled widely, not comprehending the sadness behind the older man's words. She kissed him softly on the cheek and hugged his neck.  
><em>

_"I love you, Aria."_

* * *

><p>"Ty Lee, you can go, but I'm not getting anywhere near that place."<p>

Ty Lee and Aria were walking through the streets of the Fire Nation, on their way to the palace to catch Zuko's coronation.

"You're gonna have to forgive him sometimeeee," Ty Lee said, making a 'tsk tsk' noise with her mouth.

"Just shut up, Ty." Aria rolled her eyes.

Her mother appeared beside her in those same fucking royal robes.

"Don't be so mean to Ty Lee. She's just trying to help. She's practically your only friend, ya know," Inna pointed out, tucking her arms in the large sleeves of her robes.

"Shut up. I don't need you to tell me what to do."

Ty Lee glanced over at Aria. She was talking to some invisible person nobody could see.

"Ari? Who are you talking to?" Ty Lee asked, puzzled.

Aria rolled her eyes when her mother's figure evaporated from thin air. "Nobody."

* * *

><p><em>I saw them kiss. I saw them <strong>kiss<strong>!_

"Ty! I'm leaving. You can stay if you want, but I can't be here right now. I'm sorry." Aria strode past Ty Lee and her other friends, tears staining her cheeks.

She had went to talk to Zuko; to make things right. But Mai was there, and he was... smiling. She had never seem him like that around her. And then they kissed and hugged.

"Oh, you're ali- Where the hell are you going! We haven't seen you in months!" Sokka hobbled over and grabbed Aria's arm, pulling her into a hug. Soon enough, Toph, Aang and Katara followed his lead, each hugging her.

"You look like shit. No offense."

"Sokka! You don't just tell a girl they look bad," Katara chimed in, slapping her brother's arm.

"None taken. It's nothing I don't already know. I'm gonna go. See you guys later."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It has been a long time! I missed you guys! But my laptop crashed and I couldn't get on it for months. I actually had to finish this on my brother's iPod so I apologize for lack of fanciness and shit. Well, until I get it fixed, I won't be able to update and for that, I am SO SORRY. **

**And djchdjdodkcifsjjs. The new Korra series! HOLY FICJSJXHJXJSJ. I love it! But I miss the characters so much. :(**


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